Rape in Armed Conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Systematic Review of the Scientific Literature

Mpinga, Emmanuel Kabengele; Koya, Mapendo M; Hasselgård-Rowe, Jennifer; Jeannot, Émilien; Rehani, Sylvie; Chastonay, Philippe

doi:10.1177/1524838016650184

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Within settings in which neither societal, political nor military sanctions impose restrictions on the types of violence perpetrated, extreme violence has been reported within military, paramilitary and criminal organisations [e.g., (29)(30)(31)(32)]. Severe violence against civilians has been described as characteristic of "new wars" (33).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trauma, Aggression, and Post Conflict Perpetration of Community Violence in Female Former Child Soldiers—A Study in Eastern DR Congo

et al. 2020

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Objective Former combatants are exposed to multiple traumatic stressors during conflict situations and usually participate in perpetration of violence. Ongoing perpetration of violence in post conflict areas, linked to mental health problems and appetitive aggression, destabilises peace keeping efforts. The aim of this study is to investigate lifetime exposure to violence and the relationship between this exposure and mental health and current violent behaviour in a sample of female former child soldiers with a history of perpetration of violence in Eastern DR Congo. Methods 98 female former child soldiers who had been abducted and forcibly recruited during the M23 insurgency (2012–2014) were assessed for lifetime exposure to trauma including perpetration of violence, clinical outcomes (PTSD and appetitive aggression), and current violent behaviour. Results Female former child soldiers had been exposed to extremely high levels of trauma including perpetration of violence and presented with high levels of mental health problems. Linear regression models showed that current violent behaviour was predicted by both PTSD and appetitive aggression. Conclusions Trauma exposure predicts ongoing perpetration of violence post conflict via the resulting mental health problems. The findings imply that if PTSD and appetitive aggression symptoms are successfully treated, ongoing violent behaviour in the community post conflict will also decrease.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trauma, Aggression, and Post Conflict Perpetration of Community Violence in Female Former Child Soldiers—A Study in Eastern DR Congo

et al. 2020

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“…The country has faced decades of ongoing conflict which has killed more than 5 million people [ 3 ]. Furthermore, conflict has continued surrounding political leaders, various militias, and control of mineral resources [ 4 , 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“It was with my consent since he was providing me with money”: a mixed methods study of adolescent perspectives on peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Fraulin

Lee

Lusamba³

et al. 2021

Confl Health

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Background The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) has been marred by widespread allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of women and girls by UN peacekeepers. There is minimal research conducted on the perceptions of communities most affected by the SEA themselves, and even less about those below the age of 18. Methods Using mixed-methods data, we examined the perceptions of adolescents aged 13–17 on how the lives of women and girls have been affected by the presence of UN peacekeepers within the DRC. SenseMaker, a mixed-methods narrative capture tool, was used to survey participants around six United Nations bases across eastern DRC. Each participant shared a story about the experiences of Congolese women and girls in relation to MONUSCO personnel and interpreted their own stories by answering a series of questions. Patterns of adolescent perspectives (aged 13–17) were analyzed in comparison to all other age groups and emerging qualitative themes were mapped onto quantitative variables. Results Quantitative data showed that adolescents were more likely, in comparison to all other age groups, to perceive interactions between peacekeepers and women/girls as being initiated by the woman/girl, that the MONUSCO personnel was perceived to be able to offer protection, and that the interactions between local women/girls and peacekeepers were sexual in nature. Three qualitative themes emerged: poverty bringing peacekeepers and women/girls together, material/financial gain through transactional sex and sex work, and support-seeking actions of affected women/girls. Conclusions Our mixed methods data illustrate the problematic finding that adolescents facing poverty may perceive SEA as protective through the monetary and material support gained. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on peacekeeping economies and have implications for the prevention of, and response to, peacekeeper-perpetrated SEA.

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“…Due to continuous warfare, there have been catastrophic levels of sexual violence in the DRC since the mid 90's (Mpinga et al, 2017). Hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been subjected to sexual violence and torture.…”

Section: Democratic Republic Of Congo (Drc) and Context Of Warmentioning

confidence: 99%

When religious leaders champion gender equity and religion is a strength: Empowering women and men to collectively mitigate gender-based violence

Warren¹,

Torjesen²,

Wamue-Ngare³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Cha and Roberts (2019) suggest that marginalized groups can leverage identity-based strengths as resources to achieve desirable organizational outcomes. Scaling this up, we suggest that for a marginalized community, leveraging their cultural strengths as resources can also be an effective strategy to combat large, complex, and entrenched societal problems. In the aftermath of decades of war, gender-based violence (GBV) is a pressing concern in the Democratic Republic of Congo. To combat this, an intervention aimed to leverage the most influential cultural strengths in the region – religion and religious leadership - to energize social change. We tested whether such an approach was impactful in three critical areas: 1) GBV within marriage; 2) gender roles in the family; and 3) activism and male allyship in the community. Individuals from cities and rural areas in North Kivu and South Kivu who attended the year-long intervention (n = 100) and a matched control group (n = 100) completed a survey 4 years later. Results showed that compared to the control group, the intervention attendees reported significantly lower experience of emotional abuse, physical violence and sexual violence behaviors, endorsed more egalitarian gender roles and power sharing within the family. Finally, they exhibited activism in the community, and male allyship, grounded in positive masculinity. Findings demonstrate that interventions that emphasize and leverage cultural strengths offer a useful approach to combat entrenched social problems, even in extreme environments.

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Rape in Armed Conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Systematic Review of the Scientific Literature

Cited by 9 publications

References 56 publications

Trauma, Aggression, and Post Conflict Perpetration of Community Violence in Female Former Child Soldiers—A Study in Eastern DR Congo

Trauma, Aggression, and Post Conflict Perpetration of Community Violence in Female Former Child Soldiers—A Study in Eastern DR Congo

“It was with my consent since he was providing me with money”: a mixed methods study of adolescent perspectives on peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo

When religious leaders champion gender equity and religion is a strength: Empowering women and men to collectively mitigate gender-based violence

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