By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Independent News ExpressIndependent News Express
  • Home
  • International
    InternationalShow More
    G7 finance leaders seek non-tariff consensus in Canada, may face US pushback
    Ahead G7 Summit, Finance Ministers Seek Non-tariff Consensus In Canada, May Face US Pushback
    2 weeks ago
    Over 28,000 Women And Girls Killed In Gaza Since October 2023
    2 weeks ago
    Global Aid Cut
    New Report Reveals How Global Aid Cuts Affecting Women’s Organisations Aiding Women In Crises
    3 weeks ago
    UNICEF Raises Alarm Over 14m Children Worldwide At Risk Of Malnutrition
    2 months ago
    United Nations for Women
    In 8 Days, 830 Killed In Gaza – UN Women Raises Alarm
    2 months ago
  • Africa
    Africa
    Show More
    Top News
    Human Rights Watch Kicks Over 10-Year Jail Term Giving Burundian Journalist
    2 years ago
    Democracy In Africa In Crisis, Afrobarometer Warns
    2 years ago
    Hopesalive Initiative for Africa
    Queen Temitope Enitan-Ogunwusi Receives African Award In Ethiopia
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    ECOWAS Marathon Race Director Okon Congratulates Commission on 50th Anniversary
    5 days ago
    Africa Day: Majority of Africans Want African Nations Be Given Greater Influence In International Decision-making Bodies
    1 week ago
    Edelman Africa Launches Regional Advisory To Support Global Institution Growth In Africa
    3 weeks ago
    African Union Champions Artificial Intelligence for Africa’s Socioeconomic Transformation
    2 months ago
  • Corporate News
    • Media Outreach
  • Politics
    Politics
    Show More
    Top News
    Peter Obi’s Big Win In Lagos Set Social Media On ‘Fire’
    2 years ago
    Tayo Ayinde, A Leading Choice For Nigerian President-Elect’s Chief Of Staff
    2 years ago
    15th BRICS Summit
    Timi Frank Blasts Shettima For Gloating Over Predetermined Tribunal Judgement
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    LG Election: Stakeholders Appeal To APC Not To Allow Chairmen Run For 3rd term
    4 weeks ago
    More APC Chairmanship Aspirants Reject Indirect Primary For Local Govt Elections In Lagos State
    4 weeks ago
    Youth Party Sets May 18 for Lagos LG Primary Elections, Slashes Fees For Women and PWDs
    1 month ago
    Oyo State Faces Herculean Task in Picking Makinde’s Successor – Chief Ayorinde
    2 months ago
  • News
    • Agriculture
    • Breaking News
    • Tech
    • Maritime
    • Crime
    • Art & Culture
    News
    Show More
    Top News
    Ondo Governor, Akeredolu Begins Construction Of First Flyover In Akure
    2 years ago
    Celebration Of Life: Reverend Adewumi Jegede Of Later House Of God Assembly Buried Amid Pomp
    12 months ago
    Pa Abdulfatah Amoo Ayanwale
    Pa Ayanwale Dies At 76, Fidau Prayers Holds 8 August
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    IMSUAA 2025 Convention: Two Artistes From Lagos Chapter To Light Up Event
    1 week ago
    Lagos SWAN Celebrates Yeni Kuti On Her Special Day
    1 week ago
    Ado Ekiti Honours One of Its Own: A Tribute To Chief Tajudeen Oluyole Olusi
    1 week ago
    Owo Security Summit Holds 26 May
    1 week ago
  • Entertainment
    • Comedy
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Concert & Events
    Entertainment
    Show More
    Top News
    YouTube Partners 8th All-Africa Music Awards 
    2 years ago
    GOtv
    GOtv Channels To Be Renumbered for Better Viewing Experience
    2 years ago
    New Grammy Rule Addresses Artificial Intelligence, Says “Only Human Creators” Eligible For Awards
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    Nigerian Idol Season 10 Live Shows Are Underway as the Top 10 Battle for Stardom
    6 days ago
    Nigeria Strengthens Fight Against Content Piracy Through Strategic Partnerships
    1 week ago
    Prestige, Impact: Why AMVCA is the People’s Award Show
    4 weeks ago
    Celebrating African Cinema: AMVCA’s Growing Influence in Global Entertainment
    1 month ago
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Love & Life
    • Food & Drink
    • Travel & Tourism
    • Relationship
    • Sex
    Lifestyle
    Show More
    Top News
    Cultural Fusion: Omoge Anago/Iroko Day Festival Bridges Nigeria & Benin Republic
    8 months ago
    African Catholic Bishops Converge in Lagos for Landmark 50th anniversary of the Pan African Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS)
    African Catholic Bishops Converge in Lagos For Landmark 50th CEPACS Anniversary
    2 years ago
    Muslim/Muslim Ticket: Focus Should Be On Need For Good Governance – Obasa, Others
    3 years ago
    Latest News
    Lagos SWAN Joins UN To Celebrate World Nutrition Month At Unilag Confab
    6 days ago
    Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art and Toledo Museum of Art Launch Historic Cultural Exchange
    4 weeks ago
    Piracy in Africa’s Creative Sector: How Creators Can Protect Their Content
    1 month ago
    Fanti Carnival Returns To Lagos This Easter Sunday
    2 months ago
  • Business
    • Banking & Finance
    • Oil & Gas
    BusinessShow More
    Lagos Will Continue To Lead Initiatives That Accelerate Economic Diversification – Sanwo-Olu
    2 weeks ago
    Afreximbank
    Afreximbank Reports Strong Performance For Q1 2025 In Line With expectations
    2 weeks ago
    Pan-African Payment & Settlement System
    Nigeria Unlocks Intra-African Trade With New Pan-African Payment & Settlement System Policy Boost
    3 weeks ago
    Impact Of Online Trading Platforms Like Temu On Nigeria’s Economy
    3 weeks ago
    Unity Bank Launches GenFi, Targets Children, Teens With Gamified Banking Platform
    4 weeks ago
  • Health
    Health
    Show More
    Top News
    WHO Raises Alarm Over Rise In Cholera Cases In Nigeria, Malawi, Cameroon, 7 Other Africa Nations
    2 years ago
    Tackling Preventable Diseases, Africa Needs To Vaccinate 33m Children To Put Progress Back On Track
    2 years ago
    USAID
    United States Partners Woman-Owned Nigerian Company To Fight Malnutrition
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    Alimosho Football Coaches Council Set For Health, Safety Business Workshop
    1 week ago
    World Hypertension Day: Merck Foundation Commits To Improving Cardiovascular And Diabetes Care Across Africa
    2 weeks ago
    First Lady Gives Paediatric Support To Indigent Patients At Lagos General Hospital
    3 weeks ago
    Salt Awareness Week: CAPPA Urges Fed Nigerian Govt To Accelerate Salt Reduction Targets Regulation
    3 weeks ago
  • More
    • Sports
    • Aviation/Transportation
    • Deliverance Hour
    • Industry & Labour
    • Insurance
    • Interview
    • Judiciary
    • Metro
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Religious
    • Romance
    • Science & Discovery
Reading: How Survivors Of Sexual Violence In DR Congo Are Healing With Help Of UNFPA Frontline Workers
Share
Notification Show More
Aa
Independent News ExpressIndependent News Express
Aa
  • Home
  • International
  • Africa
  • Corporate News
  • Politics
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Health
  • More
Search
  • Home
  • International
  • Africa
  • Corporate News
    • Media Outreach
  • Politics
  • News
    • Agriculture
    • Breaking News
    • Tech
    • Maritime
    • Crime
    • Art & Culture
  • Entertainment
    • Comedy
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Concert & Events
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Love & Life
    • Food & Drink
    • Travel & Tourism
    • Relationship
    • Sex
  • Business
    • Banking & Finance
    • Oil & Gas
  • Health
  • More
    • Sports
    • Aviation/Transportation
    • Deliverance Hour
    • Industry & Labour
    • Insurance
    • Interview
    • Judiciary
    • Metro
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Religious
    • Romance
    • Science & Discovery
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Advertise
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Independent News Express > Blog > Africa > How Survivors Of Sexual Violence In DR Congo Are Healing With Help Of UNFPA Frontline Workers
Africa

How Survivors Of Sexual Violence In DR Congo Are Healing With Help Of UNFPA Frontline Workers

Last updated: 2023/08/18 at 9:26 AM
2 years ago
Share
Sexual Violence
Sexual Violence victim
SHARE

 “I was going to fetch firewood from the forest to cook food for myself and my six children, when I came across armed men.” 

Anny*, 33, spoke to UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, in front of the tent that has become her home in North Kivu’s Bulengo displacement camp. The site shelters tens of thousands of people displaced by violent conflict, climate disasters, economic crises and disease outbreaks that have mired the country in a humanitarian crisis.

Yet for many, even the shelter is cloaked in fear.

Anny lost her husband and fled her home when fighting approached their village. The camp provides only makeshift housing and there is no electricity, gas or access to the most basic services. Struggling to feed her family, she organized a trip into the nearby forest with two other women and her teenage daughter to collect firewood.

- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

But soon after they arrived, Anny’s nightmare began to unfold. “While we were collecting wood, these men appeared with knives and machetes, dressed in long robes… They told us to get down on the ground and threatened to kill us if we shouted for help.”

Anny and her daughter were separated; each was raped at gunpoint. “They tore off our clothes…We resisted until we had no strength left,” she told UNFPA.

Terror on top of trauma

Sexual violence is increasingly being used by armed groups as a tactic to terrorize and control communities affected by conflict. Between 2021 and 2022, there was a 91 per cent rise in reports of gender-based violence in North Kivu province, and with the situation only deteriorating, millions of women and girls are in urgent need of protection.

Anny and her daughter’s ordeal was not only physically brutal, but also psychologically devastating. Seeing her daughter in so much pain only deepened Anny’s misery.

Women and girls in displacement settings are at heightened risk of sexual assault and coercion, while soaring hunger is forcing many to venture away from the camps in search of supplies and work, further exposing them to potential attacks and exploitation. Yet most survivors lack access to critical response and recovery support, such as post-rape care and treatment, which is critical to heal and avoid unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections such as HIV.

Anny initially kept silent about the rape, as the potential stigma was too much to bear. But some days later, she chanced upon a weekly information session supported by UNFPA, whose teams work across the camp to spread awareness of sexual and reproductive health topics, including gender-based violence.

She was relieved to learn she could seek medical treatment at a UNFPA mobile clinic in Bulengo, one of three so far set up in North Kivu to meet rocketing demand for sexual and reproductive health support. Since it started operating in June, more than 3,000 displaced people have used the clinic, including 200 for sexually transmitted diseases and 30 survivors of gender-based violence, who received medical care and referrals to legal and psychological services as needed.

Midwives Sifa Ndeze and Philomène Siyauswa Kasuera welcomed Anny, assuring her she was neither alone nor to blame for the assault. After being treated with care and in confidence, she was reassured enough to discreetly bring her daughter to the clinic as well.

The midwives also directed them to a safe space for women and girls, which offers health services and a refuge in which survivors of violence can heal from the horrors they have endured. The Bulengo space is among six established by UNFPA in the country’s eastern provinces and has received more than 1,400 women and girls since it opened in May 2023.

Antoinette is a psychosocial worker who followed Anny’s case. “It wasn’t easy, sometimes she was desperate,” she told UNFPA. “Fortunately, I managed to get her back on her feet.”

At the safe space Anny is now learning to dye fabrics, part of a training course in livelihood skills to help survivors regain their confidence and earn an income. When she completes her course, Anny will also receive cash transfers to strengthen her economic recovery and autonomy.

Support against all odds

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has one of the world’s most complex and protracted crises, with more than 6 million people displaced within the country – 98 per cent of them in eastern provinces. 

As disasters multiply, humanitarians like Ms. Ndeze are always ready to assist. “As an internally displaced person and midwife myself, working at the mobile clinic means I can continue to practise my profession and help these women,” she explained.

As UNFPA executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem said on this year’s World Humanitarian Day, “Our humanitarian colleagues safeguard the health, dignity, safety and rights of women, girls and young people across the globe. Their persistence reminds us that the bright light of human possibility refuses to dim, even amidst the most challenging circumstances.”

Estimates show more than 1 million women this year are at risk of gender-based violence, particularly sexual violence, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To continue scaling up its programmes in Ituri, North and South Kivu in 2023, UNFPA urgently needs $18.8 million, of which only $4 million has been pledged.

You Might Also Like

ECOWAS Marathon Race Director Okon Congratulates Commission on 50th Anniversary

Africa Day: Majority of Africans Want African Nations Be Given Greater Influence In International Decision-making Bodies

Edelman Africa Launches Regional Advisory To Support Global Institution Growth In Africa

African Union Champions Artificial Intelligence for Africa’s Socioeconomic Transformation

United Kingdom Looks to Deepen Energy Trade, Investment Ties with Africa

INadminNG August 18, 2023 August 18, 2023
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Telegram Email Print
Previous Article Sebastian Coe Coe Re-Elected For Third And Final Term As President Of World Athletics
Next Article PHOTOS: Team Lagos Compete At Zonal Eliminations For 2023 NYG
about us

Independent News Express (iNews Express), a publication of 4Ds Nigeria Limited, is birthed out of the desires of the founding fathers to report News as it is.

We value Professionalism, Excellence, Service, Creativity and Integrity.

The Company

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy & Policy

Quick Links

  • Advertise with us
  • Newsletters
  • Deal

Categories

Find Us on Socials

© Independent News Express. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?