Hillary Clinton in Congo to Denounce Rape as Weapon of War

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, to denounce atrocities against women in the war-ravaged country. Clinton is visiting for two days to raise awareness of the prevalence of sexual assault and the use of rape as a weapon of war. Tomorrow she will visit Goma, a city in the eastern DRC, to meet with women who were raped by members of the military, reports the Huffington Post.

Clinton said, "I will be pressing very hard for not just assistance to help those who are being abused and mistreated, in particular the women who are turned into weapons of war through the rape they experience, but also looking for ways to try to end this conflict," according to CNN.

Since the war in the Congo began in 1998, tens of thousands of women and girls have been raped. Thousands of Congolese women marched in Kinshasa late last year to protest rape as a weapon of war. According to the Daily Nation, humanitarian groups have estimated that between 400 to over 1,000 rapes occurred in the eastern part of the country alone during just the first three months of this year.

Media Resources: Huffington Post 8/10/09; Feminist Daily Newswire 8/6/09; Feminist Daily Newswire 12/17/08; Daily Nation 6/23/09; CNN 8/10/09

© Feminist Majority Foundation, publisher of Ms. magazine

If you liked this story, consider making a tax-deductible donation to support Ms. magazine.