Nightmare

I talked with my grandmother last night and she was proud of the work that I am doing. She said that she had talked to her friends about my last post, and reflected on her own experience with sexual violence as a method of control back in 1950s’ Haiti. She urged me to keep up my work and continue to write about the topic.

This morning I was struck by a security report that came in from DRCongo over the weekend. It is an utter nightmare that depicts very well what is happening in DRC.

An entire family of sisters were gang raped by armed men. A 17, 14, 12, and 3 year old. The 3 year old was injured so badly that she died on the way to the hospital.

The story is chilling. I have been to the remote area where this incident occurred just two months ago. I have seen the lush mountains and valleys. I have come across truckloads of men and were glad that all they wanted were pictures of them goofing around.

These girls were not so lucky. Their family is shattered. As a mother or father I can’t imagine the pain they must suffer to watch their daughters experience such tragedy. As a young girl I can’t imagine trying to move on after such trauma with your siblings.

It is sad, and it is all too common. It doesn’t even make it as a media report, but it deserve so much more attention than it is given.

Miel

1 Comment

  1. 'Drea on June 3, 2009 at 2:44 pm

    Man’s continuous inhumanity to man is a complete baffler; although, Alice Walker once said that she never feared a woman walking down the street.

    It’s unfathomable that someone would rape a three-year-old.

    When Ted Koppel was holding down The Nightline fort, he did a multi-part series on the Congo back in 2002. Otherwise, places like the Congo and Haiti don’t make the news unless there are coups d’état.

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