DR Congo: Worst Place to be a Woman

The Democratic Republic of Congo is arguably the worst place to be a woman. An armed conflict in the West African country has been described in the most harsh terms:

• The deadliest conflict since World War II
• Africa's First World War
• The great war of Africa
• The greatest humanitarian crisis on the planet

Words cannot aptly describe the conflict in DR Congo; words cannot aptly describe the suffering of the Congolese people who have faced unspeakable human rights violations - including rampant rape, forced labour and the worst forms of child labour - for more than a decade.

In DR Congo, both government troops and rebel groups use rape as a weapon of war. The casualties of the war are numerous and women and girls are the most vulnerable. More than 200,000 women and girls have been raped in DR Congo since 1998 and there is a growing need to protect civilians.

A video by Human Rights Watch paints a grim picture of DR Congo - the worst place to be a woman. WATCH...



Systematic mass rape and other forms of violence against women and girls in DR Congo have been documented and reported by Human Rights Watch and other rights groups and individuals for more than a decade, and the largest UN peacekeeping force - United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), formerly known as United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) - is on the ground in Congo, but it remains to be seen whether civilians would be protected from violence in a country that is so rich, yet so poor and unstable.

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