Ann Jones' chapter, “The Democratic Republic of Congo: Rape,” in War is Not Over When It's Over describes the long-standing situation of rampant sexual violence in the DRC, emphasizing the ripple effect of rape perpetrated by militias during conflict to the broader population. The situation is compounded, Jones illustrates, by a patriarchal culture that undervalues women and denies them their rights. She explains how a long history driven by a "privatization of violence" - wherein individual men rouse private armies and ethnic militias for personal wealth and power - ultimately reinforced a structure that normalizes rape and transforms the act from a problem of attacking the female body to a form of humiliation towards men. Though this rape culture stems from violence between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes of the DRC, it became such a norm that common citizens (including teachers, pastors and even fathers) also participate in these acts of abuse. Extraordinary statistics and anecdotes concerning the high amount of women raped, gang raped, and raped multiple times; the wide age range among girls and women raped; the physical and psychological effects of rape; and disastrous tendencies towards victim-blaming further demonstrate the extent of which women are dehumanized and devalued under men in the DRC. Much of Jones' interaction and research occurs through her experience in working with the Gender Based Violence division of the International Rescue Committee and the Collectif des Femmes de Kamanyola, a local DRC group dedicated to providing support to victims of sexual assault.
Jones, A. (2010). "The Democratic Republic of Congo: Rape." War is not over when it's over: women speak out from the ruins of war. New York: Metropolitan Books.
*** I have the Kindle version of this book, which, unfortunately, does not show page numbers! I'm not sure how to cite this since I have no clue where several of these quotes/paraphrased ideas are located.
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