Today's New York Times featured one of the most heart-wrenching photos I've seen in a long time. A Congolese woman, Maria Shuluba, age 53, partially covers her face with the worn blue sweater she is wearing. She was raped by armed militia men.
Dr. Denis Mukwege, a gynecologist in South Kivu Province, the so-called "epicenter of a rape epidemic" notes that the severity of these rapes is unprecedented. "We don't know why these rapes are happening, but one thing is clear...they are done to destroy women." He has witnessed girls as young as 3 and women as old as 75 raped so severely that their reprouctive and even digestive systems are beyond repair. They have been tortured--bound to trees, burned, assaulted with bayonets and tree branches. Many of them have no recollection of the attacks, or no understanding of them.
Kasindi Wabulasa was raped by five men in February. They put an AK-47 to her husband's head and forced him to watch, then shot him when they had finished. Willermine Mulihano's husband divorced her after she was raped the first time, by Hutu militiamen two years ago. In July, she was gang raped by five Nkunda soldiers.
And yet, this has gone on virtually unnoticed by the American media and the American public. We are so distracted by Britney's custody battle and Lindsey's rehab stint that we ignore very real, very painful trials and tribulations of the not-so-rich-and-famous. The fact that 10 new rape victims are admitted to a single hospital every day should be appalling, but most of us are too caught up in our favorite flavor of Starbucks coffee to care. We must ask ourselves what it is we are planning to do about our complacency. When are we going to stand up for what's right, become actively involved in the world around us, and demand the equality we have been promised? Should "all men be created equal" in this nation alone?
Or is it time that America develop a legitimate global conscience?
You're absolutely right. Fuck Britney!
*-They think teenagers have nothing to say. This is just to prove how wrong they are.-*
Holy crap, that's horrible! What a bad husband for abandoning his wife when she already got into a terrible situations. Sigh. That just further proves there's no such thing as true love. They're supposed to recover together! It makes me sick that men can gang up on a girl like that. Rape is already bad enough with one guy.
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http://www.mylot.com/?ref=truelife
What the fuck??? All of this is awful, but how the hell can a man divorce his wife after being raped? Where was he to protect her?
I think the problem needs to be fixed internally and bad press from outside charity sources that aren't donating the money promised has worsened the problem. People are apathetic to the cause because there always seems to be something going wrong with Africa. It's awful, but no one cares anymore.
This is a very, very bad situation. I agree that something needs to be done, but America playing referee will not go over too well either.... If private companies promote stabilization in the area, maybe African countries will be able to put a long term stop on the violence. I couldn't find as many charities as I had imagined: clearly this is an issue that needs attention!
http://www.ipacademy.org/ is the top rated world peace charity according to http://www.charitywatch.org/toprated.html#peace
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"What would I like to tell you? That I didn’t get what I looked for: to gather all of us naked on the earthly pastures under the endless light of suspended time without that form which confines me as it once confined you." =Milosz
it's been completely ignored...even Human Rights Watch hasn't said anything