Information courtesy of The Panzi Foundation

The Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, especially its eastern parts, lives under the impact of protracted violent conflict. The presence of armed groups and high numbers of internal displacement has increased the vulnerability of the population towards different   forms of abuse such as sexual violence. The conflict in DRC has been become known as "Africa's world war."

Since 1994, a year in which a massive flow of Rwandan refugees and armed groups have entered the DRC, the country has entered into a multi-sectarian crisis. This crisis has been aggravated by a succession of wars so-called "of liberation" that have lasted till the early 2006, the year in which fair election brought to power a legitimate government. During this period of time, groups of people have been displaced among which around 150 000 persons were forced to flee to the neighboring country of Tanzania. These refugees have now started to move back to places where they originally came from.

DRC hosts the world's biggest UN Mission, MONUSCO, with approximately 17.000 troops, but violence against civilians remains high. In addition to conflict, physical infrastructure is inadequate and limits access. Only 20% of the country remains accessible by road

Gender Based Violence

Congo’s eastern provinces have been plagued by conflict for more than two decades. Rape has become a weapon for the warring factions still fighting there despite the  presence of the world’s largest UN peacekeeping mission.

More than 5,000 women were raped in South Kivu alone during 2009, according to the UN.  A majority were raped by soldiers or armed rebels.

But studies have found  an increase in rapes committed by civilians over the last years. A study published by Oxfam and Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) in April 2010, was based on interviews with 4,311 female survivors of rape treated within previous phases of the SSV-project  (Survivors of Sexual Violence) at Panzi Hospital. The study found an increase in number of civilian rapes among the patients treated in the SSV-project. The number of reported civilian rapes among patients admitted to the SSV-project in 2008 was 11 per cent and in 2009 it increased to 15 per cent. From July 2009  to June 2010  the figure had further increased to 18 per cent.

The challenge for the survivors of sexual violence and women with gynecological conditions to access primary as well as secondary health care remains significant. This is due to factors such as displacement, political insecurity and lack of capacity within the local health structures.