Congo's Rape Victims Go on the March

Congo’s rape survivors “have had enough, enough, enough, enough,” says one activist—and to show it, many of them marched yesterday to protest the country’s rash of sexual violence. Some victims even left hospital beds to join up, singing, “My heart is in pain, why are you raping me?” The rape crisis, which has been going on for years, recently led the UN to name the Democratic Republic of Congo the “rape capital of the world,” CNN reports.

Fifteen thousand women were raped in eastern Congo last year. Rebel groups are accused of many of the atrocities, but government troops have also been blamed. The march, organized by the World March of Women and local women’s groups, was designed to draw attention to the issue as well as combat stigma associated with victims. For more background on the tragic situation, click here.
(More Democratic Republic of Congo stories.)