WARNING **extreme violence**

[Tedob1]

WARNING:

*****IF YOU UPSET EASILY, DO NOT READ THIS*******



I don’t know how many are aware of the war, still raging in Rwandan, but its on of the most upsetting things that’s ever happened in my lifetime. Some things sadden, some anger while others just sicken. This does all of them, so upsetting is the only word I can use to discribe it.
This being my one thousandth post, I wanted it to mean something.


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“War continues to rage in eastern Congo. Within that larger war, combatants carry out another war -- sexual violence against women and girls,” said Alison Des Forges, senior advisor to the Africa division of Human Rights Watch.
The report, which is based on numerous interviews with victims, witnesses, and officials, details crimes of sexual violence committed by soldiers of the Rwandan army and its Congolese ally, the Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie (RCD), as well as armed groups opposed to them – Congolese Mai Mai rebels, and Burundian and Rwandan armed groups.
These combatants raped women and girls during military operations to punish the local civilian population for allegedly supporting the “enemy.” In other cases, Mai Mai rebels and other armed groups abducted women and girls and forced them to provide sexual services and domestic labor, sometimes for periods of more than a year.
Some rapists attacked their victims with extraordinary brutality. In two cases, assailants inserted firearms into the vaginas of their victims and shot them. In other cases combatants mutilated the sexual organs of the women with knives or razor blades. Some attacked girls as young as five years of age and women as old as eighty.
Assailants often attacked women and girls engaged in the usual activities necessary to the livelihoods of their families: cultivating their fields, collecting firewood, or going to market. By doing so, the assailants further disrupted the already precarious economic life of the region.
Medical services in eastern Congo have nearly totally collapsed, leaving most victims of rape and other sexual torture with little hope for treatment of injuries or of sexually transmitted diseases, including testing and post-exposure treatment for HIV/AIDS. Some experts estimate that HIV prevalence among military forces in the region may be higher than 50 percent. Rape in these circumstances can be a death sentence.
The report also documents the rejection of some women and girls by their husbands, families, and wider communities because they were raped or because they are thought to be infected with HIV/AIDS. As one such ostracized woman told Human Rights Watch researchers, “My body has become sad. I have no happiness.”

http://www.hrw.org/press/2002/06/congo0620.htm

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It's hard to even imagine how our world could allow this to go on.

[Unleashed]

Painfull.

[Conf1rm3d_K1ll]

Originally posted here by Tedob1

It's hard to even imagine how our world could allow this to go on.

Where are the US now? The self imposed Police of the world seem to be turning a blind eye...Oh, that's right, this crime against humanity isn't going to affect the price of oil.......

[Tedob1]

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Where are the US now?
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where is everybody?

[GreekGoddess]

I can't help but cry when I read something like this. It tears my heart in two. I have helped so many people with the organizations I've been involved with. But it's never enough is it? It continues on everyday, and because it's not publicized, people don't think about it.

It's damn unfortunate.

Thank you for reminding all of us how lucky we are...maybe this thread will drive a person to do more....

*sighs*

[Conf1rm3d_K1ll]

Where is everybody? "Everybody" hasn't made themselves self imposed rulers of the world. Anyway, I'm getting bored with arguing with the same people about the hypocrisy of the US.


On a side note, congrats on your 1000th post....

[debwalin]

I certainly don't mean to downplay the seriousness of this situation, but female sexual abuse and mutilation goes on everyday in every country, more often than you can imagine. I have provided a link here that is to a webpage that gives a very clear (longwinded) explanation of something that I think is a crime against women, and should be stopped everywhere, regardless of religion, and tradition.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/fem_cirm.htm

Deb

[xTOXICSOLDIERx]

Sure thats sad, but I hate how U.N. bosses biger nations into becomeing super heroz. We don't need these organizations to tell US who we need to save and who not 2 and how to prevent WW3. One of the reasons we are in the whole middle east thing is because U.N. and other organizations didn't handle thier crap right. Besides if other countries and thier allies would start handeling thier "OWN" bullcrap no1 would even be here whinning about stuff like this now. Even if we did deside to save them the US and UK would need "permision" to attack if some1 would have handled this crap be4 it erupted the way it did then then it wouldn't be nearly as bad as it has gotten. Instead they let this stuff grow and grow for years now and THAT IS SAD.

[xTOXICSOLDIERx]

Another thing I hate is when we actually solve problems we alway whind up telling these countries that they need to dothis and that...don't get me wrong there is nothing wronge with advice, but a free country should let other countries be the way they wanna be.

[spitfire087]

that is a very good point, deb.

articles like the one posted above make me realize some of the awful things that are happening in the world. they make me realize it. i doubt that any amount of reporters and journalists and whatever for whomever could possibly cover all of the awful, horrendous, and morally degrading events that occur in the world every day. and then- when an article does come out that touches on the seriousness of the situation, some people say "where is everyone. how can we prevent this situation. why is nobody helping".

if i thought all the time about what was happening in the world, i wouldn't be able to take it. it's my opinion that the US does a pretty good job with our country. and we try to help out with others whenever we get the chance. just my opinion.

giselle