Sign in Subscribe
Soldiers

Sexual Violence by the Democratic Republic of Congo's Army Continues Unabated

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Despite efforts by the government and the international community to address the issue, sexual violence by the Democratic Republic of Congo's army remains widespread and under-prosecuted. Human Rights Watch has documented persistent sexual violence by soldiers, including the 14th brigade, which has been implicated in numerous acts of rape and other forms of sexual violence in North and South Kivu provinces.

Key Takeaways:

  • Human Rights Watch has documented 7,703 cases of sexual violence by the army, rebels, and other actors in the Kivus in 2008, with the majority of victims being girls.
  • Despite 27 soldiers being convicted of crimes of sexual violence in 2008, no colonel or general has been prosecuted for rape, and no officer has been prosecuted for committing or condoning sexual violence under his command.
  • The government has failed to take decisive action to prevent rape, despite ample information about the situation, and has not prosecuted senior army officers accused of rape.
  • The Congolese government and its international partners have provided assistance to Congo for military reform, including army training on international humanitarian law and help with improving the command structure, but reforms have achieved little in reducing sexual violence against women and girls.
  • The Security Council plans to hold an open debate in August 2009 on how to carry out Resolution 1820 on sexual violence in conflict, which spells out concrete obligations of individual countries and UN entities to prevent and punish sexual violence when it is used as a weapon of war.
  • Human Rights Watch has called on the Security Council to use Resolution 1820 to initiate tough measures against governments and armed groups that commit sexual violence in Congo and elsewhere, including funding benchmarks, travel bans, sanctions, and refusing UN cooperation with abusive parties.

Statistics:

  • 7,703 cases of sexual violence by the army, rebels, and other actors in the Kivus in 2008 (Human Rights Watch)
  • 27 soldiers convicted of crimes of sexual violence in 2008 (Military courts in Kivu)
  • 65% of the victims of sexual violence in 2008 were children (UN agencies)
  • Since January 2009, rape cases have doubled or tripled in North and South Kivu provinces of eastern Congo (Human Rights Watch)
  • 14,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been displaced because of violence (UNHCR)

Sources:

  • Human Rights Watch/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX, "Soldiers Who Rape, Commanders Who Condone: Sexual Violence and Military Reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo"
  • Human Rights Watch, "Sexual Violence by the Democratic Republic of Congo's Army Continues Unabated"
  • UN agencies, "Sexual Violence in Conflict"
  • UNHCR, "Refugees and Displaced People in the Democratic Republic of Congo"

Read more