Violence against women increasing in Congo and in Guatemala

Violence against women in the Congo and in Guatemala has increased dramatically in the year 2007. This was reported by the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) on Friday on the occasion of the International Day for the Abolition of Violence against Women (25.11.). In the Congo rape has been systematically used as a weapon of war. Several thousand girls and women aged between six months and 75 years have in the central African country already been raped by militia men, soldiers and policemen. "Women in the Congo urgently need more effective protection, the care for the victims must be improved and the prosecution of the criminals must be pursued more energetically”, demanded the GfbV Africa expert, Ulrich Delius.

It is many years now since the government of the Congo promised "zero tolerance” of sexual violence, but the country is far removed from this. Not even in the regular army and police are the Congolese authorities able to pursue effectively the prohibition of rape. An even greater problem is posed by the Hutu militia, who after the genocide in Ruanda in 1994 have come from the neighbouring country to the east of the Congo . They are responsible for the majority of the rapes. "As long as the Congo and the international community do not urgently and purposefully pursue the disarmament and return of the Hutu militia the sexual violence can hardly be stopped”, said Delius.

In Guatemala too, reports the GfbV, women of the Maya tribe are increasingly becoming victims of violence. It is true that a peace treaty officially put an end to the civil war which had lasted 36 years, yet women are still today becoming victims of violence by men brutalised by war. Thus in the past ten years 5,885 women have died a violent death. Since then at least one woman is murdered every day. A large number of the victims are indigenous people, who according to various sources make up about 60 percent of the population. Most of the Maya women are illiterate and do not speak Spanish, but only their traditional Maya languages. They are excluded and discriminated against, becoming rapidly victims of sexual violence since the criminals do not have to worry about being caught.

The crimes of genocide have not been cleared up either, which were perpetrated against the Maya during the civil war of 1960-1966. At least 150,000 persons were murdered, above all during massacres by the paramilitary. 50,000 persons are still officially missing. About 96 percent of the victims were members of the Maya tribes.