Victims of sexual violence in Congo need help

*The name of the Harper Hill Global correspondent is being withheld for safety reasons. 

• Women have been victims of sexual violence following the rebel takeovers of Goma and Bukavu in eastern Congo.

• The women need assistance in recovering and dealing with trauma from the attacks.

• United Methodist Bishop Gabriel Yemba Unda pleads for the return of peace to the eastern part of the Congo and asks for people of goodwill to help the women.

Special for Harper Hill Global

The fall of two major cities in eastern Congo to M23 rebels has been accompanied by dozens of incidents of sexual violence against women. 

Armed men have carried out sexual attacks, as well as killings, following the capture of Goma and Bukavu in the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

“We note with regret that every day that passes in the cities and surrounding areas, women are victims of sexual violence, and today they remain without psychological and medical assistance,” said a United Methodist pastor who works with women in the region. The pastor’s name is being withheld for safety reasons.

The women risk developing trauma if nothing is done to help them, the pastor said.

The Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement rebels seized both cities and several towns in January and February.

Before the rebels entered each city, prisoners who had been incarcerated by the local authorities were released, and they were able to commit violence and disappear into surrounding areas, according to the pastor.

“What we do at our level is to gather them [the women] in one place every week, and we encourage them morally so that they do not lose hope of living because there is hope for life after this violence,” the pastor said.

More than 40 women in Goma and 35 in Bukavu have been identified as victims of sexual violence. One of the most recent attacks occurred at Irambo Health Center in Bukavu, where armed men entered the center and raped a nurse at her workplace.

The victims do not know where to turn for help at a time when justice has not yet been restored in areas occupied by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.

Bishop Gabriel Yemba Unda, who leads The United Methodist Church’s East Congo Episcopal Area, has issued a plea for peace in the region and is calling on people of goodwill to help women who have suffered violence.

“Everything has a beginning and an end,” the bishop said. “The current situation will pass, and I ask for the general mobilization of all United Methodists to come to the aid of these victims of violence.”

How to help: Your gifts to Harper Hill Global will directly provide food and resources for survivors of this conflict. Choose "Triumph Over Trauma" from the dropdown menu, and note "DRC Relief."

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