Tuesday is the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women, established by the United Nations a mere nine years ago. I don’t want to depress you too much, but there’s a lot of upsetting statistics that reinforce the need for such a holiday. The United Nations describes violence against women as “perhaps the most pervasive human rights violation that we know today.” An estimated one third of all women worldwide have “been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime — with the abuser usually someone known to her.”
One region of the world where violence against women is occurring at alarming rates that are significantly higher than international averages is the Congo. As I wrote recently, the violence in the Eastern region of the country is spiraling out of control with overstretched UN Peacekeepers doing what they can, with limited resources, to prevent further escalation of warfare. Over five million people have already died in the country’s civil war. Violence against women, including raping hundreds of thousands of women, has been and continues to be one of the main weapons of war in the Congo.
The Enough! Project, has been leading efforts to raise awareness of the dire situation for women and girls in the Congo and promoting diplomatic options to stop the warfare. Indeed, for women and girls to be safe in Congo, the warfare must end. takepart today to learn more about the history of the Congo and stay informed with Enough about actions you can take to stop the violence.
(photo: Robynjaye)
