Democratic Republic of Congo

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Background on Conflict in the Congo

The conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has claimed over five million lives since 1996, making it the deadliest conflict since World War II. While mass rape has been a feature of many civil and interstate conflicts, the violence in eastern DRC features unique and disturbing characteristics. In 2007, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes called rape in the DRC, "the worst in the world."

Tens of thousands of women have been raped or sexually mutilated. The uncommonly brutal nature of the crimes leads to a host of health problems for survivors: pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease (including HIV), and traumatic fistula – a condition that leaves women incontinent of urine, stool, or both. Many women and their children are abandoned by their husbands and communities and become homeless and destitute.

HHI's work is focused on identifying prevention and mitigation tactics that can protect Congolese women's health and human rights at the individual, community, and international levels.

Update from the Field

Jocelyn Kelly is currently in eastern DRC working on two projects for the Women in War program. The first examines which factors – societal, financial and health-related – influence men’s behaviors towards survivors of sexual violence and to identify the barriers towards acceptance and reintegration of survivors into their families and communities after rape. The findings from this project will inform evidence-based interventions that can prevent rejection of survivors in the future.

The second project will take a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to bring together Congolese and international partners to conduct qualitative research that will more effectively examine how communities are affected by complex related to protracted instability and violence.

Current Projects

Addressing Root Causes of Mass Rape
In partnership with UN-OCHA, Open Society Institute, and Oxfam America, HHI research addresses the root causes and consequences of gender-based violence in eastern DRC. Recent research and recommendations by HHI investigators have shaped international policy and informed the humanitarian community's understanding of why mass atrocities occur. Particular investigations focus on:
- Documenting survivors' needs for medical, psychosocial, and livelihood support;
- Assessing community perceptions of sexual assault;
- Evaluating the effectiveness of local and international service providers;
- Tracking militia activity and understanding perpetrator motivation.

Capacity-Building for Local Clinics In May 2007, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) launched a pilot program to build the clinical capacity of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. Although Panzi is a full service hospital, it is the region's main treatment center for victims of sexual abuse seeking surgical and medical treatment. The hospital accepts 10 to 12 new rape victims daily, and it is not uncommon for there to be 450 sexual assault victims admitted to the hospital at any given time. HHI's program, directed by Dr. Julia VanRooyen, focuses on training hospital personnel in complex pelvic repair procedures by sending U.S. gynecologic surgeons to work side-by-side with Congolese physicians.

Published Reports

Now, The World Is Without Me: An Investigation of Sexual Violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

By: Susan Bartels, Michael VanRooyen, Jennifer Leaning, Jennifer Scott, and Jocelyn Kelly, April 2010.

‘Now, The World Is Without Me', is an in-depth report commissioned by Oxfam America and carried out by HHI. The study analyzes data from female rape survivors who were treated in Panzi Hospital in South Kivu Province over a five-year period. The analysis revealed an alarming increase in civilian perpetrators of rape.

Characterizing Sexual Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Profiles of Violence, Community Responses, and Implications for the Protection of Women

This report uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore sexual violence in the Democratic Replublic of Congo. Results from this report show the sexual violence perpetrated by armed actors in the DRC has features that indicate rape is being used as a weapon of war. The violence in DRC embodies a new kind of war emerging in the 21st century - one that occurs in villages more than battlefields and affects more civilians than armed combatants.