On a state visit to war-torn Congo last Tuesday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was confronted by the topic of the horrific sexual violence plaguing the region. A peace treaty was signed in 2003 to halt the conflict which draws militants from eight other African countries, but the war continues. With a death toll of 5.4 million,[1] the conflict is the deadliest in the world since World War II.[2] The United Nations has estimated that hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been raped in last decade of conflict,[3] and has called Congo the “rape capital of the world.”[4] John Holmes, who is the coordinator of UN relief operations in Congo, has said of the sexual violence in the region: “Violence and rape at the hands of these armed groups has become all too common… It’s the use of it as a weapon of terror. It’s the way it’s done publicly, for maximum humiliation. It’s hard to understand.”[5]

During her short visit to a refugee camp in East Congo, Clinton witnessed first-hand the tragedy and brutality that has been visited upon women in the region through heinous acts of sexual violence. She described the crimes as “evil in its basest form,”[6] and presented a $17 Million plan to help Congo address its astonishing level of sexual violence. The plan provides for the U.S. government to “train doctors, supply rape victims with video cameras to document violence, send American military engineers to help build facilities and train Congolese police officers, especially female police officers, to crack down on rapists.”[7] Clinton also met with Congolese President Joseph Kabila, urging him to prosecute offenders of sexual and gender-based violence in Congolese army, as well as discussing the Congo’s illegal trade in minerals as one of the primary causes of the conflict.

For more information, see: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/12/world/africa/12diplo.html?emc=eta1