Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Congo's New Horror: Men Raping Men

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 5, 2009 6:22 AM CDT
Email

(Newser) – Hundreds of thousands of women have been sexually assaulted in the ongoing war in eastern Congo, but suddenly, the region is seeing a sharp increase in rapes of men. More than 10% of the victims of sexual violence in the region are male, and victims are often ostracized by their own families and communities. "The people in my village say: ‘You’re no longer a man,'" one victim tells the New York Times. "'Those men in the bush made you their wife.'"

Aid groups surmise that the sudden surge in men raping men is a tactic, by both the Congolese army and the rebels, to humiliate and control the local population. It comes amid surging violence in the region, where brutal revenge attacks—including toddlers thrown into flames—have driven 500,000 from their homes, despite the recent capture of a rebel general. "From a humanitarian and human rights perspective, the joint operations are disastrous," said a Human Rights Watch official.

Former child fighters gather for a meeting with newly-arrived former combatants at a transit home for demobilized child soldiers in Goma, Congo.
Former child fighters gather for a meeting with newly-arrived former combatants at a transit home for demobilized child soldiers in Goma, Congo.   (AP Photo/T.J. Kirkpatrick, File)
Former child fighters are seen at a transit home for demobilized child soldiers in Goma, Congo.
Former child fighters are seen at a transit home for demobilized child soldiers in Goma, Congo.   (AP Photo/T.J. Kirkpatrick, File)
Displaced people line up to receive non-food items from the Red Cross, with Nyiragongo volcano smoking in the background, in Kibati, just north of Goma, in eastern Congo.
Displaced people line up to receive non-food items from the Red Cross, with Nyiragongo volcano smoking in the background, in Kibati, just north of Goma, in eastern Congo.   (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo, File)
A 17-year-old who fought in a rebel group for three years sits with other child soldiers at a transit home for demobilized child soldiers in Goma, Congo.
A 17-year-old who fought in a rebel group for three years sits with other child soldiers at a transit home for demobilized child soldiers in Goma, Congo.   (AP Photo/T.J. Kirkpatrick, File)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 19 comments
ArtfullyViscious
Aug 6, 2009 12:12 PM CDT
Thinker, that could not have been better put; thank you!
ifbit
Aug 6, 2009 8:59 AM CDT
lindamae, I disagree. It is news not because it affects men but because it is a rare tactic employed. And if it is not a rare tactic, then the media does not spend the time reporting on it that would be expected of a gender-biased media. Please don't misunderstand, I accept that sexism exists at all levels of society and that women suffer the most from it. But if the media only report on such abuse when the man is the victim, then why does everyone know what an honor killing is? Whether they take place in Turkey, Germany or the US, honor killings are frequently reported in Western media, either that or I spend far more time reading newspapers than I'm aware. Enter the word "rape" in newser's search bar, and you get thirty-odd pages of articles dealing with the subject. Some mention men, some mention horses, but most focus on the crime as it is committed against women. No doubt the world is sexist and sick, but I have the impression we explode the proportions of some hot issues, like sexism, while ignoring countless other, equally influential factors.
Jungun
Aug 6, 2009 8:37 AM CDT
Here here!

 
Africa • rape • civil war • Democratic Republic of Congo • Congolese • sexual violence • sexual assault

More Newser Stories

Ben Affleck Lends Star Power on African Atrocities

Prison Shrink Accused of Faking Rape

Man Busted in 2 Sex Assaults at Wall Street Camp

FBI Urged to Broaden Definition of Rape

Libyan Rape Accuser Moves to US
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne