The Democratic Republic of Congo has been embroiled in a bloody war for more than a decade.
Over the years, the Congolese army and various insurgent groups, including guerrillas from neighbouring countries such as Rwanda, have disputed strategic enclaves, mainly due to the presence of mineral deposits of gold, coltan, cassiterite, etc..

The parties in the Congo conflict, particularly in eastern provinces of North and South Kivu, are the Armed Forces of Congo (FARDC), where the Tutsi guerrillas of General Nkunda so called CNDP were integrated in just a few months ago,  and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

The rape of women has become a powerful weapon. According to MSF, 90% of rapes in the country are committed by men wearing uniform.  "The attackers belong to both, FDLR and FARDC, but it is the latter who perpetrate more violations," the director of Oxfam in Congo, Marcel Stoessel says.

The UN military mission in the country (MONUC), the largest UN contingent that has been sent to a war-torn country, has completed a mandate  of 10 years in Congo.

Since early this year MONUC started giving military support to Congolese army, more than 7,000 women and girls have been raped and more than 1,000 civilians have died, according to Oxfam. The same statistics show that for every demobilized member of the FDLR, one civilian is killed, 7 women are raped and 900 people are displaced.


Most of the NGOs operating in the area follow a similar work pattern: Offering medical and psychological care at first, then teaching them a trade, usually seam. Finally, integrating them back into society by helping them to find a way of life, home, etc.. This point is essential because rape is a stigma in Congo which means staying out of the whole society, something terrible in a society that has always lived in community.