Thousands of women and girls have been raped in Eartern part of the Congo

In the Congo, thousands of women and girls have been raped. The ages of the victims vary- from toddlers to the elderly. It is not uncommon to hear about a woman who was violated by several soldiers in front of her family. The law does not exist in Congo, so these soldiers do as they please. They don’t just stop at rape. They also torture their victims, beat them, shoot them in their vaginas, insert objects into their bodies, and kill their families.The survivors' stories are deeply disturbing.

In her segment about Congolese rape victims on Jan. 24, 2005, Oprah Winfrey recounted the experience of one mother who was attacked by a group of militias. They told her teenaged son to rape her! When he refused, they shot him dead. Then they assaulted the woman and nearly chopped off her arm.

There is at least one man in Congo who is helping and not abusing women. His name is Dr. Denis Mukwege, an OB/GYN at Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Congo. He heals rape victims who come to him b/c of leaking urine and feces. Thanks to Dr. Mukwege and his staff, a few of these victims are able to return to their homes with a little bit of dignity.Please donate to Panzi Hospital so that Dr. Mukwege can continue to heal these women.


If you would like to help these raped victims, please go to http://www.vday.org/registry03.html or http://www.panzihospitalbukavu.org/