The 'rape capital of the world'? We women in Congo don't see it that way

Congo is a nation of sisterhood and solidarity. We are changing our country from within, risking our lives to speak out and taking up the political fight against sexual violence – rather than just taking notes while men speak

‘Congolese women have decided to take our future into our own hands.’ Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Supported by

I grew up in Goma, near the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country where sexual violence is notoriously widespread.

But we do not see ourselves as the “rape capital of the world”. Instead, I agree with Liberia’s Nobel Prize laureate Leymah Gbowee, who called my nation “the world capital of sisterhood and solidarity”. Congolese women have decided to take our future into our own hands. We have few resources but we have an enormous amount of know-how.

Victims of sexual violence have been largely forgotten after decades of what seems like a never-ending war. For 30 years, since leaving school, I have worked with women here and have received dozens of death threats as a result. My home and office have been attacked and raided. One of my staff members was raped.

But we are changing this country from within.

We women have a huge influence in our communities yet we are almost entirely excluded from Congolese political life. A lot of this is down to the traditional role of women and a government that ignores article 14 of our constitution, which demands gender equality. Only 8% of parliament is female and we have been almost completely left out of peace-building efforts – apart from the occasional inclusion of one or two women to take notes while men speak. According to the International Peace Institute the chance of lasting peace increases by 35% when women are included in talks, but during times of war, women’s political participation tends to decrease while sexual violence increases.

For many years I have known that efforts to build peace and end sexual violence should be led from the front. A lot of meetings have taken place, which gives the illusion that progress is being made. In 2000, UN security council resolution 1325 called for women to be given equal political participation and for governments to take “special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, in situations of armed conflict”. But after more than 17 years of involvement by the United Nations and three years after the UK’s Global Summit on Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict, progress on the ground is minimal. The summit cost £5.2m ($6.9m) to host while we carry out our work with nothing.

Justine Masika Bihamba. Photograph: Pierre-Yves Ginet

Last month my organization coordinated 65 women leaders from every province to come to our capital city, Kinshasa, to start a Congolese Women’s Forum for peace and equal political representation. Meryl Streep, Gloria Steinem, Lena Dunham, the former UN High Commissioner Navi Pillay, and Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallström gave advice and pledged support. It felt incredible to have so many people listen to us.

Less than one week after the event we started to see progress. Six women from our group and 80 local women were included alongside militant groups in peace talks in the Kasai region, a hotbed of violence, where an estimated 3,300 people have been killed by warring forces in the past year. Collectively, women made up around 20% of those in the room – a huge contrast with similar previous events.

We are now focused on increasing this further, against all the challenges.

Every day I put my life at risk by speaking out, but I have no choice but to keep going. Congolese women need to be taken seriously so the DRC can finally witness the peaceful future that we have all dreamed about for many years. A part of that is in our hands.

Justine Masika Bihamba is the founder of Synergie des Femmes, a women’s organization based in Goma, DRC, and partner of the global women’s group Donor Direct Action

… as 2022 draws to a close, and you’re joining us today from Germany, we have a small favor to ask. It’s been a challenging year for millions – from the war in Ukraine to floods in Pakistan, heatwaves across Europe, protests in Iran, global economic turbulence, and continued repercussions from the global pandemic. The Guardian has delivered rigorous, fiercely independent reporting every day. It’s been no mean feat. Will you support our work today?

Being a reader-funded news publication allows us to keep our journalism open and free for everyone across the world. This feels more vital than ever. In 2022, millions have turned to us for trusted reporting on the events that shaped our world. We believe equal access to fact-checked news is essential for all of us.

Unlike many others, the Guardian has no shareholders and no billionaire owner, so our reporting is always free from commercial and political influence. This emboldens

About Hope

Hope for Girls and Women (Matumaini kwa Wasichana na Wanawake in Swahili) was founded by the Tanzanian activist Rhobi Samwelly in 2017. Rhobi’s personal experience of being forced to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) as a child inspired her lifelong commitment to fight for the rights of girls and women. Our organisation runs two safe houses in the Butiama and Serengeti Districts of the Mara Region of Tanzania, which shelter and support those fleeing FGM, child marriage, and other forms of gender based violence.

Gender based violence continues to be a serious problem in the Mara Region of Tanzania. This region has the highest rate of spousal violence in the country, affecting 78% of married women. Over 50% of adult women were married by age 18 and 32% have undergone FGM, while only 21% have ever attended secondary education. Governmental services to help these girls and women are limited.

Through our committed team of staff we offer our safe house residents free classes in vocational training, such as tailoring and computer skills. Through this training we support women’s entrepreneurship. Women can use their new skills to generate much needed income, becoming valued providers for their families while also increasing their independence, and making them less vulnerable to forced marriage and FGM.

We also provide safe house residents with free medical exams and HIV testing. One key objective of our organisation is to improve the health of girls and women.

Our work has been featured in Tanzania’s Daily News, the BBC, Guardian, and Telegraph. Rhobi’s work is also the focus of Canadian filmmaker Giselle Portenier’s documentary In the Name of Your Daughter. We rely on donations to continue our work.

Click here to read monthly updates from Rhobi on her mission and work!