[Shadow_Group] Fw: Democratic Republic of Congo

[shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca]

CNN.com

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) -- Fighters in Congo
have raped at least 40,000 women and girls over the past six years yet
the health system in the central African country can offer the victims
little help, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.

Although war in the Democratic Republic of Congo was declared over in
2003, fighting has continued sporadically in the east with some horrific
rape cases occurring in June this year, according to the human rights
group.

Amnesty called for an expert team to assess the needs of the health
sector, urged Congolese authorities to take a much tougher line against
sexual violence and demanded a national and international effort to
improve security in the east.

All of the more than 20 groups involved in Congo's conflict had committed
rape and sexual violence, it said in a statement.

As one example of many crimes, Amnesty cited testimony from the youngest
of three sisters raped by up to 20 members of a faction which seized the
eastern town of Bukavu in June.

"Jeanette was raped by seven soldiers in the storeroom, Francine by eight
soldiers in the shop," 16-year-old Edith said.

"They put me in the bathroom. I fought with five of the soldiers when
they tried to make my brothers watch me being raped. But they beat me so
hard."

Only two eastern hospitals can treat survivors of sexual violence,
Amnesty said, and hospitals often have no water or electricity and lack
doors, windows and beds because of looting.

"The government and the international community must act now to ensure
access to medical care for thousands of rape survivors and ensure that
the rehabilitation of the health care system is a priority," Amnesty
campaign director Stephen Bowen said.

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.resist.ca/pipermail/shadowgroup-l/attachments/20041030/4981eaa9/attachment.html>