Half a Million

Approximately half a million is the number of women and children who have  been raped over the last ten years in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The war in the DRC is still going on. The January 2011 issue of Marie Claire magazine has said:

One of the most dangerous places for women, it has been named 'the rape capital of the world'.

I was disturbed and shocked by the rape stories mentioned in the article. My first thought after reading the article was that I wished I could transport all the women and children of the DRC to a place where they will not have to live with the constant threat of being raped or violated in some other way.

On 1 January, a film called Unwatchable will be released. Made by British film company Dark Fibre Films, it shows soldiers breaking into the home of a British family, raping the teenage daughter, and killing the parents in front of the six-year-old daughter. The idea behind making the film is that it will make people fully aware of the atrocities happening in the DRC. Imagining  such a thing happening to my family makes me feel as if I'm about to throw up. It's too horrific to fully comprehend. I don't know if I could face watching Unwatchable.

Worldpress.org has a concise yet thorough article on the war in the DRC.
Women for Women International  is an incredible programme that is helping to empower female survivors of war with skills to earn a good living, as well as counselling. Even if I can't make donations, I hope that telling people about what is happening in the DRC will help in some small way.