Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Day 23- who needs electricity at work? pfft! Electricity is for chumps!

So... no electricity at work=work from home. I can appreciate that...
Something that you might have noticed if you've been following my blogs is I have been going to the orphanage a few times. Well, Cherie has asked me to take over coordinating trips out there. I was so happy when she asked me to because I am loving my time with the kids. So we will be going to the orphanage again tomorrow. I am setting up to see who wants to go for the day.
Today was not much of a busy day. There was an article in the newspaper talking about the reports done for DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo] of women who were raped. I was estimated that ___(misplaced the article.. i will fill in ASAP) women were raped every two hours. DRC is known as the capital for rape in the world. Regardless of this fact, the article discusses the inaccuracy of the research, due to in part, that there are women who claim to be raped to receive free health care. In Democratic Republic of Congo, rape victims receive free health care while other women with health needs have to pay. These women do not have the luxury that us Canadians do, where health care is provided by the government and a doctors appointment does not empty the piggy bank! Although this article questions the results of the research done on rape stats in DRC, it in no way makes light to the reality of life in DRC.
Rape is just a part of life, even though there are laws prohibiting forced prostitution, and human trafficking for sexual exploitation with penalties up to 20 years of jail time. Out of the reported incidents, so few are actually investigated. This reference only the victims who courageously report the crime. What about the women who remain silent? Not to mention there are rape victims who end up killed as a result. Their violations go unheard.
In Democratic Republic of Congo, women are seen as property and the men, even boys, are brought up to believe that they have the right to force intercourse on a woman for their own pleasure. Rape is used as a weapon of war, with the most vulnerable victims being females.
Talk about the lowest of lows, when it comes to women's rights! These women do not even have choice or control over their own bodies and what it is used for. It is tragic to learn that the young boys in DRC are told they have the right to a woman in this way.
These women have no choice, but to accept rape as a part their lives. Like the article states, DRC is the capital of rape in the world! What a terrifying way to live, fearing the inevitable, inhuman actions of the male population of your country. It is estimated that 400,000 surviving rape victims are living in DRC currently.
I'd like to know how many criminals, who are in jail, are in for rape! What is the point of making laws for security and justice, if your culture teaches you to do the very thing the laws prohibit?
That is all the time I have to talk about this subject at the moment... because honestly... It makes me sick. However, it is worth looking into further and comparing it to the stats from Canada... or Tanzania.

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