This is just horrific. I don't think people really are aware of some of the terrible things happening in some parts of the world — and how lucky we really are.

Rape is an especially egregious tool to use to terrorize a population. [/shudder]

I was looking for a film or documenty to watch for class, i just came a across this. The interviews with the rapists was the most interesting ans shocking part, they truly believe they have done noting wrong.
Barbelle, we are not lucky, rape happens here, every day. 1 one out 6 American women have victims of completed or attempted rape in their life time (14.8% completed)
17.7 million American women are rape victims
There is one sexual assault every 2 minutes
60-75 of rapes are not reported.
around 6% of rapist spend time in jail

I could go on and also talk about domestic violence, but i digress.

This brings me to tears immediately. This documentary should be aired in schools and prisons and music industry boardrooms.

The use of rape as a tool of war has been used for 1000's of years. There are some great books about it. A really good memoir is 'A Woman In Berlin'. I read it a few years ago and was simultaneously brought to tears by the brutality that women suffered and blown away by the resilence of their spirit.

Y'all aint gona be able to blame whites on this one…WHAT ARE YOU GONA DO!!!!!!

Well….the book I mentioned is about the Russian occupation of Berlin during the ww2. Rape has nothing to do with race, you simple minded motherfucker.

Killo is always here to start something, so sad.

thanks for posting this story. i have hbo, but was not aware this documentary would be showing. i just finished watching it. . . .

wow.

i took notes while i watched. below i listed some points that shocked my conscience, these are some of the most horrific aspects of this conflict:

-females are subject to rape AND torture every day.

-a rape is not just a rape. a rape is almost tantamount to killing a woman in their society.

-torture includes using sticks, guns, and burning coals to destroy female genitalia and reproductive organs. victims are also beat up, have their teeth knocked out, and have to witness their loved ones being killed.

-another example of torture is that soldiers often force preganant women to abort their childen after they rape them, by making them lie on their stomachs and kicking them until they start bleeding. then they force the women to drink the blood.

-females include girls as young as 2 years old and women older than 80 years old!

-females face death and/or tremendous injuries after rape including suffering from: fistula, HIV, incontinence, loss of reproductive organs, unwanted pregnancy (and they keep all the children).

-after being raped, women are often abandoned by their spouses and families, and blamed for the tragedy. it is incredibly hard for them to remarry and are almost doomed to a life alone.

-the women are often raped by gangs of 5 or more men and sometimes enslaved for long periods of time.

-the women have a limited diet, since they cannot venture too far for food, or risk assault.

-women are expected to take care of all the sick men and children around them. yet the women themselves are very ill, and no one takes care of them.

-many of the women live in women only villages, with other rape survivors. there are hardly any nuclear families or extended families. it is mostly women strugging by themselves, or together.

-almost the every party in the country is complicit to the rapes, violence and lack of law and order, including: congolese soldiers, rwandan soldiers (who went there fleeing conviction after the genocide), ugandan soldiers, and even many members of the UN peace keeping force have been accused of rape and exchanging food and goods for sex. the above named parties all accept money bribes as well, which perpetuates these injustices.

-many of the children born of these rapes end up orphans, when their mothers die or abandon them. many children, orphans and non-orphans are in a constant state of trauma from witnessing so much violence against the women (you should see their facial expressions, so sad, just blank and fearful).

-the rapists interviewed had no guilt or remorse, although they admit their actions were wrong. they try to justify their acts by saying the women should just surrender, because they are lonely after living in hiding in the forests for months at a time without a woman's company. others are supersticious and say they need to rape women, so their 'magic potion' works to help them win their war.

-many of the rapist admit their double standards because most of them are married and have sisters. they all say they would kill a man who harmed the women in their family, and that it would be wrong for those men to do it.
-many of the wealthy congolese dismiss the problem as not their own, and unfortunately were not featured in the documentary.

-the women are so oppressed in their daily lives. they have the burden of taking care of the whole family, both the finances and the nurturing. they work all day in the fields gathering food, only to be robbed and raped on their way home.

I apologize in advance for any typos above. I am still in a sad mood after watching it. The documentary is a must see. It also features the story of the filmmaker who was a victim of rape in Washington DC. The film also shows the positive sides of progress being made to end the rapes and support the victims. But I felt like my post should focus on the problem to spread awareness.

***another fascinating point made in this film was that there is some type of metal (i forgot the name) that is located in congo. it is an extremely valuable metal becuase it is used for making cell phones and laptops. everyday, at least $1 million dollars worth of this metal are stolen from/exported from the congo. the congo holds 80% of the WORLD's supply of this metal!!

that is food for thought…

P.S. If you would like to help, visit:
http://www.womenforwomen.org/

Perhaps part of the consequences for the “Rape Dat Ho” group should be to watch this documentary, or better yet, be dropped off in the Congo to fend for themselves. How disgusting that “rape” has no meaning to these kids, but it is a word with immense and devastating power to those who truly experience it.