Awareness for the Masses: Who’s helping?

Previously I wrote about the troubles in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and how the down falls of this post-war country have left the women and children victimized by local government militias. "In eastern Congo, rape and sexual violence are routinely employed as weapons to subjugate villages and terrorize entire communities. From old women to young children, the soldiers do not discriminate; the stories of their brutality and torture are so horrific that they rarely reach Western ears. Inside the country however, the locals have accepted mass rape as the status quo; even women who have been attacked will tell you, "This is just Congolese life" (Wanga). I also briefly brushed over a few of the non-profit organizations (NPOs) and lone citizens that have given a helping hand in efforts to relieving these people of their inherited stresses.

Why should you care you may ask? You should care because this does pertain to you; it may appear as something distant from us here in the United States but these people are just as much a part of the world's future as you are. Just because they have thousands of miles away, do not mistake this as a distant and foreign problem. This is, in its simplest terms, women who are being denied their civil rights that each human being accedes to at birth. Imagine that your rights are taken away. Imagine that you had no say so in what your body was used for. Imagine that your children are raped and murdered in front of your very eyes. Imagine that your once beloved husband abandons you after you were raped by enemy militia. Imagine that this is your government's military; the same men that were supposed to be protecting your rights and your families are the very men who are depriving you of such rights. Would you then see this in a different light? What will it take to make this something personal? How many more women and children will die before we see the seriousness?

The answer: The answer is now. The answer is awareness. The answer lies in each and every individual. Know who is taking action and what efforts are being made. Educate yourself.

According to the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (VAWA), the definition of sexual assault is as follows:

    
Any act committed against a person's will by force, coercion or trickery that is of a sexual nature. Sexual assault is an invasion of a person's body and mind. It includes

    not only rape, but also other criminal acts such as spousal rape, attempted rape, incest, child sexual assault, sexual harassment and indecent exposure. Sexual assault is

    a crime used by one person to control, dominate, and humiliate another.

 

(provided by The National Alliance to End Sexual Violence)

Under laws such as these, American women are protected from violence such as this. Why should it be any different for the women of the DRC? Why should these women and children continue to be victims of sex slavery, in which they are kidnapped to be used repeatedly as sexual slaves for the entire group of their captors? This is something that Amnesty International (AI) hopes to put an end to. AI is a democratic, self-governing movement that is supported by national sections and local volunteer groups. By supporting such groups as these that search to find ways of improving the lives of women and children in these areas, we can end the violence now. The brutality in the DRC stems from the natural minerals that are prevalent in the area. AI plans to settle such disputes that result in human rights violations with new proposals such The Conflict Minerals Trade Act (H.R.4128) that was introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Jim McDermott in November of 2009. The bill "seeks to improve the transparency and reduce the trade in conflict minerals in the DRC in order to promote the larger policy goal of supporting peace and security in the DRC" (AI).

With that said, (although it may have appeared as a bunch of 'mumbo jumbo' of government policies and bills) it goes to show us that even the officials in our own government are making an effort to helping this countries' people. Why should we not do the same thing? On a more personal level, Eve Ensler included a story of a Congolese girl in The Vagina Monologues. "The monologue is a moving piece about a fifteen year old girl from Congo who is abducted and turned into a sex slave by military peacekeepers, and is the basis for having 10 percent of this years' ticket sales going to women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo"(Sauer). By making this known publicly, we can reach the masses. We can show the American people that the problem still persists and something needs to be done about it.

In 2008, Lisa Jackson composed The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo, a film she created from a compilation of interviews of women and children who had fallen victim to the brutal militias and also included interviews with the men who did the damage. She presented both sides in efforts to show the real problem, the portrayal of rape worldwide. Jackson states, "They had just confessed to war crimes, to heinous acts, and I had videotaped it" (Cochrane). Her film was shown to governments across the globe as to make everyone aware that this is a serious crime that persists in DRC. These men know what they are doing and show no remorse in their actions; being raped is becoming a part of life for the Congolese, meaning the battle is almost lost.

Many woman and children are not as lucky as we are in the United States. We live our lives with little worry and take for granted our human rights all the time. We are the privileged ones and it is our job to make sure that everyone gets what they deserve. It is our job, as a global effort, to see to it that everyone is given their social justice; whether they are the victim or are the predator. With the hundreds of NPOs and government agencies/policies, the anonymous volunteers, and human rights activists such as Jackson we can move forward. We are able to make the changes needed; we have the means to do so. It all comes back to making ourselves aware and getting involved at a local level. Once we fight these problems locally, combating them internationally follows in line; giving the women of the DRC and of all other war-ravaged countries hope for a better life.

 

 

 

Awareness for the Masses: Bringing the focus to Congo

I would like to start off with a brief history of the Democratic Republic of Congo for those of you who are as unfamiliar as I was. Congo is a war ravaged country that has been in shambles for over a decade, even continuing through a peace settlement that was reached in 2003. The people of this country have been through so much, and death tolls continue to rise and rape is used as a weapon by enemy militia that tries to control the area. Forty-five thousand people die each month due to the violence and famine that has taken over this land. Women continue to be the main victims of such actions, they are unable to protect themselves and stay vulnerable, along with their children. They are in some cases even shunned by their husbands after such rapes and are left to care for their children alone, or left with no children at all (Raise Hope for Congo Campaign). "Perhaps worse than the loss of life is the staggering numbers of human rights violations – torture, mutilation, and sexual violence that has occurred against tens of thousands of women and children" (Women for Women International).

With this said, I shall move on to more important things. I am not writing to persuade anyone to hear my opinion or give their money to the cause; I am simply writing to learn and better my understanding of the problems in this country. I do not have all the answers nor will I ever, but I do believe that organizations such as the Raise Hope for Congo, Women for Women International, and the International Rescue Committee have the means to make change. By making Americans aware of the severity of the situation, I feel that along with these organizations, we can give the women of Congo a future worth living for just by being aware.

In my first post, I ranted on about the importance of education and how Americans, myself included, take it all for granted. There was a point to all that, hopefully you will understand as I delve into the topic at hand.

In the past, our efforts to aid Congo in its time of need have been ineffective, over-looked, and insubstantial. In 2008, Congress proposed a bill that would combat international violence against women and girls (H.R. 5927: International Violence Against Women Act of 2008). Being that Congressmen only hold a seat in the House for two consecutive years, this bill is now considered dead; meaning that this never became a law and in turn was over-looked (govtrack.us). People do not see the importance to fight for such bills, leaving them to fight for themselves; seems unlikely, but it happens all the time. In my findings along with this past bill, a new bill was introduced this month based on the same criteria as the latter. It states as follows:

    " The Ambassador-at-Large shall coordinate with all relevant United States Government departments and agencies, particularly the United States Agency for International Development, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, on all policies, programs, and funding of such departments and agencies relating to gender integration and empowerment of women, including ending violence against women and girls internationally"(H.R. 4594: To Combat International Violence Against Women and Girls).

This concept seems easy, the answer very simplistic, but the awareness is not there. Is it because it does not affect us personally? Are we unaware that these problems still occur? Or, as a nation, are we passive? Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times stated, "It's already very difficult to get Americans to show any interest in a remote, distant conflict, and if everyone in the drama is Congolese it's that much harder. An American protagonist in the column creates a connection to readers, I hope, and leaves them more engaged in the topic". Kristof was referring to Lisa Shannon, an American citizen whom he mentioned in some of his columns. Shannon personally got involved with Women for Women International after seeing a special on Oprah about the rape and war in the DR Congo; along with the NPO, she organized the Run for Congo Women. I believe that we need to make these issues our own, if they do not become personal, absolutely no change will be necessary to make.

Previously, I had mentioned a few non-profit organizations that have offered aid to the women of Congo. I have grown very fond of Women for Women International in my research. This NPO does not just assist the women of Congo, but women in destroyed countries worldwide. As I read more into it, I found out so much about the experts behind the curtains. It is a network of well educated women that have used their knowledge to spread the wealth, so to speak. In the DR Congo, Women for Women has given these women hope; providing the Congolese women with the information and support to start over. In the last two years, Women for Women International has expanded their program tremendously, aiding over 24,000 women and giving them a glimpse of hope. Some of the statistical results are as follows:

• 88% report having improvement in personal and family health
  
• 86% report having improved their economic situation
  
• 88% of women expressed increased self-confidence
  
• 83% report having a greater knowledge of their rights
  
• 88% expressed being more active in their community
  
• 87% report being more active in decision making
  

(Information provided by Women for Women International)

 

The women of Congo move a step towards a brighter future everyday with the help of NPOs and selfless citizens like Lisa Shannon. "The first step to building a movement is to raise awareness about the crisis in Congo. The campaign provides activists with informative tools to educate themselves and their communities about the conflict in eastern Congo and the epidemic of sexual violence against women and girls" (Raise Hope for Congo Campaign).

An Educated Guess

As we all know, here in the United States we are lucky to receive our civil rights as American citizens. We have our right to freedom of speech, of the press, and of education. We can make our own decisions, we can hire those who will make decisions, and we can lie and cheat and steal our way through life; sometimes without consequence. But I would mainly like to focus on the institution of education, for it is the most important! What we learn through out our lives, whether they be in school or learned from our environment, we use to justify our actions (good or bad/ right or wrong). Education is something that we take for granted and it is THE MOST powerful tool that any human can hold; knowledge in itself is powerful and effective, in some cases life changing.

I would now like to direct your attention to another spectrum. In some research that I have done over the past few weeks, I have realized my own ignorance. My ignorance to the fact that I myself take education for granted. To me, it is something that I 'have' to do. It is something that has been forced on me since I was young, and sometimes I see no point. The only thing I know is I need it to get a job. In a nut shell, like most Americans, we go to school for the degree to get the job. The end. But, it is so much more than that. My eyes have been opened; may I be ignorant No More!