HEALING FROM RAPE IN DR CONGO

'Some of these children were born from rapes and therefore they need assistance for survival.'

Surviving Rape

The aim of our work is to help these women heal and reintegrate the society.

Besides, we help them conducting some income generating activities.

The latter may help them support their families.

The women or girls who were raped, got pregnant and finally gave birth to fatherless children.

Street children

Some of these children have become street children by lack of support, the girls are involved in selling their bodies for survival.

This is really outrageous and shocking for humanity.

COFAPRI meets some of these women and girls and gathers them in associations. Helping them form groups so they can know one another and this helps them morally.

We involve them in group jobs and after we meet and discuss the issues of human rights, especially those of women.

The trauma they lived was awful and for this reason they need healing before reintegrating their families. After this step, COFAPRI is motivating them to involve in some small activities that can help them.

We give them animals to help support them

COFAPRI is giving each member a goat, a sheep, hens or a pig to help them support their families.

Once the animal gets a young, the latter can be given to the neighbour and so on until everyone gets an animal.

Such a start is a way to helping these women and girls to conducting small business activities that can generate income. In addition, we would like to teach them some jobs as well, like knitting, cooking, sewing, plaiting and other handicraft activities that can help get money to support their families.

Children born from rape

Those who feel they are able to attend courses can do it but we are still facing financial limitations.

Up to now, we are only sponsoring three children born from rape.

This because of the lack of appropriate means. Indeed, this is what we are able to offer for the moment; in case we get more financial assistance in the future, we are ready to offer more to them.

The children roaming here and there on streets also need assistance; they need to go to school, to have medical support and learn something for their future.

COFAPRI targets more the village women and girls since they are the most victims. Some of these children were born from rapes and therefore they need assistance for survival.

Culture has taught men that they are the 'power owners'

In the households, there is another kind of violence; some husbands beat and torture their wives and children.

The culture has taught them that they are the power owners.

These men must be re-educated on how to respect their wives’ rights; the battered women and girls also need moral and material assistance.

In this way, we are meeting these people; first women alone, second men and finally meet them together and we exchange on human rights and the role of communication in a household. We hope to bring the DRC society to notice that everyone has the right to enjoy life.

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Write to the DRC Government:

President Joseph Kabila:  pr@presidentrdc.cd

Organizations active on the ground in DRC:

Villages Cobaye (VICO)

The International Rescue committee (IRC)