Sexual violence affects all women in conflicts, from rape victims to those who live in fear of being raped. Yet rape in times of war has historically been the least reported and condemned of war crimes.
This culture of silence is slowly changing, however, as the media, international relief organisations, human rights activists and international courts begin to focus on both the victims and the perpetrators of wartime sexual violence. But we have yet to understand the deep and lasting wounds that sexual violence wreaks on individuals and society.
Rape is encouraged by military leadership and perpetrated by soldiers to terrorise, humiliate and punish civilians who are assumed to be enemy sympathisers. The physical consequences are extreme. Many girls and women have died from injuries inflicted by rape. Medical care is difficult to access and sometimes those who do survive bleed to death in the days following the attacks. Survivors face health hazards such as pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/Aids and vaginal fistula.
The incidence of HIV infections as a result of mass rape during the conflicts in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — where six in 10 registered soldiers are believed to be HIV-positive — has compounded the disastrous infection rate among women in these countries.
Beyond the physical trauma, the psychological aftermath can tear apart entire communities. Victims are often ostracised or isolated and stigma forces women and girls out of families and villages. Shame also prevents survivors from seeking help.
Consequently, the cities are inundated with women and girls who have either been rejected by their communities or have fled their homes to avoid being attacked. Many live as refugees and are forced into hazardous, low-paying work or prostitution to survive.
But there are stories of hope and healing. In Shabunda in the DRC, for example, 500 survivors have created a support group. Political activism is growing as women demand health care and justice for survivors of rape.
My work on this issue is ongoing. This project is self-assigned and self-funded. As I continue to return to conflict areas, I hope to give voice to the victims of sexual violence so their trauma and their survival won’t be forgotten when — and if — the peace deals are signed.
Liberia
Above left: Monrovia, October 29 2003: Srvivors of sexual violence enact a story about hunting in their village as part of play therapy led by counsellors with a Liberian NGO, the Concerned Christian Community. The women in this group have been displaced by the war and live in a refugee camp in Monrovia. Play therapy helps remind them of their homes and of better times. It encourages creativity and positive interaction.(Photograph: Lori Waselchuk/South Photographs)
Democratic Republic of Congo
Above right: Bukavu, May 27 2003: Nsimenya (15) holds her two-year-old son in Panzi hospital in Bukavu, DRC. Nsimenya was abducted and held for a year by rebel soldiers. She was raped continually and became pregnant as a result of the rape. Her child will always be a reminder of the ordeal she suffered. ”I didn’t want the child,” she says, ”but what could I do? I keep him because he is a human being, not because I like him.” (Photograph: Lori Waselchuk/South Photographs)