Secretary Hillary Clinton is utilizing her latest trip on behalf of the U.S. to pressure officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo to do something (!) about the rampant unspeakable violence against women and girls.
The problem is that the rape of women and girls (as young as 5 years old) is a crime committed by high officials!
The U.S. Secretary of State termed "the unspeakable violence against women and girls in eastern Congo" as "the worst example of man's inhumanity to women."
Calling the situation there "truly one of mankind's greatest atrocities," she said the fight against gender-based violence as a weapon of war was just as important as curtailing corruption. The U.N. has recorded at least 200,000 cases of sexual violence in eastern Congo since conflict erupted in 1996. Although fighting has eased since a 2003 peace deal, the army and rebels continue to attack villages and kill civilians.
Brutality is common in rural communities, including gang rapes that have led to unwanted pregnancies, serious injuries and death to tens of thousands of women and girls. Earlier this month, a leading human rights group demanded that Congocrack down on rampant sexual violence often perpetrated by military generals and other top officers. Clinton called the statistics "astonishing and horrible" and said "the entire society needs to be speaking out against this. It should be a mark of shame anywhere, in any country." "We have to speak out against the impunity of those in positions of authority who either commit these crimes or condone it," she said.
The U.S. Secretary of State termed "the unspeakable violence against women and girls in eastern Congo" as "the worst example of man's inhumanity to women."
Calling the situation there "truly one of mankind's greatest atrocities," she said the fight against gender-based violence as a weapon of war was just as important as curtailing corruption. The U.N. has recorded at least 200,000 cases of sexual violence in eastern Congo since conflict erupted in 1996. Although fighting has eased since a 2003 peace deal, the army and rebels continue to attack villages and kill civilians.
Brutality is common in rural communities, including gang rapes that have led to unwanted pregnancies, serious injuries and death to tens of thousands of women and girls. Earlier this month, a leading human rights group demanded that Congocrack down on rampant sexual violence often perpetrated by military generals and other top officers. Clinton called the statistics "astonishing and horrible" and said "the entire society needs to be speaking out against this. It should be a mark of shame anywhere, in any country." "We have to speak out against the impunity of those in positions of authority who either commit these crimes or condone it," she said.
Tomorrow Hillary will visit Goma and speak about violence against women. There she will hear the horrific "stories of women who have been raped, maimed and beaten."
