The Democratic Republic of Congo's Rape Problem

• Report rights infringement
• published: 29 Apr 2013
• views: 183170

Rape City (2013): Examining the terrible rape problem that afflicts the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) At least 200,000 people have been raped in DRC since 1996. With devastating frankness National Army soldiers confess to raping women and children in the towns they were supposed to be protecting from rebels. For downloads and more information visit: http://journey.webbler.co.uk/?lid=65206 "Raping gave us a lot of pleasure. When we rape we feel free", confesses a Congolese National Army soldier. He admits to raping 53 women and children, some as young as 5 years old. In this endemic cycle of violence, children born of rape are getting raped. According to Ida Sawyer from Human Rights Watch, the army commanders responsible for these horrific abuses are not brought to justice; instead they are often "rewarded and given positions of power and wealth". Efforts are being made to address this state of impunity; those in charge "must be pursued on a criminal level for these serious crimes", says the Military Prosecutor of North Kivu. But with the judicial system mostly fractured and forgotten, the only ones bearing the consequences are the victims. Their faith in the country has plummeted; as one victim says, "our army has looted and raped their own people. Our life in Congo has no meaning". This report was made with the support of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Studio 9 Films - Ref. 5790 Journeyman Pictures is your independent source for the world's most powerful films, exploring the burning issues of today. We represent stories from the world's top producers, with brand new content coming in all the time. On our channel you'll find outstanding and controversial journalism covering any global subject you can imagine wanting to know about.