FEATURE -Congolese abuse survivors rebuild lives, brick by brick
GOMA, Congo Sept 4- Congolese teenager Aline was left destitute aged only 15 after she was raped, left pregnant and then accused of bringing dishonour to her family and made to leave her home. Aline joined the programme after finding help from an organisation on the outskirts of Goma, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s restive North Kivu region, that…
By Malaicka Adihe
GOMA, Congo Sept 4 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Congoleseteenager Aline was left destitute aged only 15 after she wasraped, left pregnant and then accused of bringing dishonour toher family and made to leave her home.
But just two years later, her life is back on track, thanksto a groundbreaking scheme to teach building skills to survivorsof sexual violence in a region ravaged by years of ethnicconflict that have hit women particularly hard.
The scheme is the brainchild of Lauren Muntu Kintadi, 36,who wanted to help single mothers and other women in need tofind paid work, and realised there was a demand for building.
Aline joined the programme after finding help from anorganisation on the outskirts of Goma, the capital of theDemocratic Republic of Congo’s restive North Kivu region, thatsupports rape victims and young mothers.
“This training is going to help me in the future, especiallyin looking after my baby,” said Aline, whose real name theThomson Reuters Foundation is withholding.
“My aim is to find a job after the training. I know this canhelp me and my baby,” she said as she worked on a project todecorate a private home in Goma, her young daughter playing afew metres away.
About a dozen women are being trained to lay bricks,landscape gardens and do basic home renovations in Goma.
The work is usually done by men, but demand for the women’sservices is strong in the city, thanks in part to a social mediapush that Muntu said had sparked people’s curiosity.
Many of the women are victims of sexual and domesticviolence, others simply desperate for work in a country whereemployers often discriminate against women in general – andmothers in particular.
Cases of domestic violence rose dramatically following thelockdown imposed at the start of the coronavirus pandemic inMarch, according to women’s rights activists.
Anny T Modi, who heads local charity Afia Mama, saidincidences had increased by about 35% as men stayed home duringthe day.
“What they see in this initiative is the chance toreintegrate into society after being humiliated and rejected bytheir the community,” said Muntu, 36, who set up the Union ofCompassionate Hearts charity in 2018.
FIGHTING STEREOTYPES
Sexual violence against women and girls in Congo iswidespread, according to the United Nations, which says morethan half have suffered from domestic violence or marital rape.
Rape has also been widely documented as a weapon of war ineastern Congo, which remains largely controlled by militiagroups since the end of a 1998-2003 war in which foreign armiesand rebels vied for control over mineral resources.
The central African nation was ranked amongst the 10 mostdangerous countries to be a woman by a Thomson ReutersFoundation poll in 2018.
Survivors are often put off reporting crimes because it is acomplex process and because of the stigma attached, and humanrights activists say justice is rare.
In some cases hospitals refuse admittance without a policeorder, or demand money to carry out a rape examination, saidChristelle Vuanga, president of the national human rightscommission.
“The way victims (of sexual violence) are treated isconfusing. There are no policies that support (them),” she said.
“Women endure gender-based violence on a daily basis. Socialrules and norms make them a little weaker every day,” saidMuntu, who wants to develop more training for vulnerable girlsand women.
Muntu has agreed to work with the Congolese NationalInstitute for Professional Preparation, which provides technicaland vocational training for adults, and is getting more and moreoffers of work.
“I’ve always had a weakness for the jobs that societyconsiders to be only for men, but it was mainly a question ofcapitalising on an opportunity,” she said.
“This gives us easy access to the jobs market and above allit helps us to fight stereotypes and all kinds of discriminationagainst women, the kind that sees women as weak.”(Reporting by Malaicka Adihe; Editing by Emeline Wuilbercq andClaire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, thecharitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers the lives ofpeople around the world who struggle to live freely or fairly.Visit http://news.trust.org)