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International
Eastern Congo Sexual Violence25 Sep 2007
Heal Africa is a clinic in Goma for survivors of sexual attacks; photo courtesy of micahalbert.com
It's claimed rape is being used as a weapon of war, on a shocking scale.

The Democratic Republic of Congo held its first free and fair elections last year. But despite this, there's still no peace in the far east of the vast country. Several armed groups operate there and, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, they use rape as a weapon of war on a shocking scale. The UN says that more than 4000 rapes have been documented in South Kivu province so far in 2007. BBC’s Sarah Grainger reports from Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu and Jenni talks to expert in African women’s rights Victoria Brittain and Human Rights Watch activist Juliane Kippenberg about the causes of sexual violence in Eastern Congo and the widespread climate of impunity which allows these abuses to go unpunished.


BBC News: Congo
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