For Rape Survivors in DRC, Safety and an Income

By Margaret Aguirre

South Kivu Province, DRC--One year ago, Celestine and three other women were working on a farm, far outside their village of Iteboro in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, when a group of uniformed men attacked and raped them.

Sitting in a lush cassava field, bathed in late afternoon sunlight, this steely 40-year-old woman quietly and matter-of-factly recounts that horrific ordeal. She explains that she was able to escape her captors soon after the attack, but was badly injured. To this day, she still suffers from the physical and emotional trauma.

She pats her lower abdomen. “I’m not completely well yet. …. I still feel a lot of pain, but I’m getting better.”

PHOTO: IMC To help protect women from the threat of sexual violence, IMC has provided them with secure plots of land close to their communities, reducing the chance that they will be attacked en route to the field or while working.

Celestine is one of tens of thousands of women who have been victimized by a decade-long civil war that, despite its official end in 2003, continues to reverberate throughout DRC.

Almost four million people died and another 2.5 million were displaced during the Congo Wars of the late 1990’s – most of them in the North and South Kivu provinces in the east. But since the fighting officially ceased, a new threat has emerged: bands of soldiers and rebel groups roaming the countryside, raping thousands of women and girls–whether alone or in groups--in their homes and their fields.

DRC's extremely rough terrain and continued insecurity prevent many women from receiving any treatment. Worse, victims of sexual violence are often ostracized by their communities, even their families. Those who do seek help fear returning to their fields to work, but they have little choice; if they don’t farm, they and their children will starve.

To help this vulnerable population, International Medical Corps began providing job opportunities in a secure environment. IMC purchased several tracts of land near community water sources where women can farm without fear of being attacked. Because attacks often happen when women are traveling or working in remote areas, being able to farm near a community with plenty of activity gives them a greater sense of safety. As part of this micro-credit program, female victims are also provided with tools and training on sustainable agriculture and farming techniques, so they can feel empowered and once again become self-reliant.

Celestine says when she heard about IMC’s program catering to sexual violence victims, she was encouraged that she could get back on her feet and be reintegrated into the community. “I went to them and they welcomed me. I got treatment and decided to join a group that was involved in agricultural activities, providing tools and seeds.”

IMC’s livelihoods project is part of a larger initiative to provide emergency assistance, and give these women access to the long-term physical and mental health care they need.

PHOTO: IMC One year after being raped by a group of uniformed men, Celestine still suffers from emotional and physical trauma.

IMC is working in three of the most underserved health zones in the eastern region--Bunyakiri, Kalonge and North Hombo--targeting an estimated 330,000 people, the majority of them women and children under five. IMC supports 59 health facilities and 19 nutrition centers, and currently is the only international NGO with a day-to-day presence in the area.

In addition to providing primary health care services in the region, IMC focuses its treatment and prevention programs on sexual and gender-based violence; sexually transmitted infections, malaria and other diseases; and malnutrition. IMC also is building and rehabilitating water and sanitation systems, and instituting programs to teach safe hygiene.

All of these efforts are aimed at getting DRC’s devastated health system--and the communities dependent on it--back on track.

For Celestine, despite her horrific ordeal, she is beginning to rebound and feel more hopeful about the future. “I’m praying that my health improves. I would like to engage in a small market or small trading activities, where I can sell soap or salt or tomatoes and generate income.”

IMC program coordinator Woseh Gobeh adds: “Celestine feels much, much better now. She’s not ashamed anymore. She’s in an association that welcomes survivors. She’s with other survivors. They have activities that encourage them to move on, so she feels good about it.”

Click to hear Celestine’s story in her own words.