Battles on women's bodies: War, rape and traumatisation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

Rape has been used as a weapon in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in unprecedented ways. Research into the phenomenon of war-rape is limited, particularly in this context. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of local leaders in eastern DRC concerning rape and raped women in the war context. Local leaders were chosen for their ability to both reflect and influence their constituencies. Interviews were conducted with 10 local leaders and transcripts subjected to qualitative content analysis.

The study suggests that mass raping and the methods of perpetration created a chaos effectively destroying communities and the entire society and that humanitarian aid was often inappropriate. Furthermore, an exclusive focus on raped women missed the extent of traumatisation entire communities suffered. More significantly, the lack of political will, corruption, greed and inappropriate aid creates a tangled web serving to intensify the war. This complexity has implications for humanitarian interventions including public health.

Keywords:

• Democratic Republic of Congo
• war-rape
• sexual violence
• local leaders
• humanitarian aid

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr Mukwege, Marie Walterzon, Monika Rudin, Jules Chitera, Amal Omer-Salim, the leaders in DRC who willingly accepted to be interviewed by our colleagues, families and countless supporters at IMCH, Uppsala University and SIDA for the Minor Field Study stipend.