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Cases of Sexual Violence and Rape at All Time High
| Female victims of sexual violence at Panzi hospital in eastern Congo. (REUTERS/James Akena/ courtesy www.alertnet.org) |
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NGO Call to Action on Sexual Violence in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
CARE is deeply concerned by the deteriorating situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Years of violence in the eastern part of the country have taken a massive human toll – especially on women and girls.
Find out what's at stake >
Quick facts - Size: 3rd largest country in Africa
- Population: 55 million people
- Ethnic groups: 200+
- Annual per capita income: $120
- Population under poverty line: 80%
- Maternal mortality rate: 990 per 100,000
- Infant mortality rate: 89 per 1,000 births
- Under five mortality: 20.5%
- Population under the age of 14: 48%
- HIV prevalence: 4.2%
- Life expectancy: 41.8 years
- Deaths during last 10 years: 4 million
| Programs CARE's extensive programming in the Democratic Republic of Congo works to meet the needs of women, families and communities in this impoverished, war-torn country. Special emphasis is placed on maternal and child health, disease prevention, education, economic recovery, community development and governance. Learn more > Advocacy CARE's advocacy efforts seek to bring about much more effective protection and promotion of the rights of women and children, and more broadly, increased and sustained government and international community commitment, investments and action to advance peace, rehabilitation and long-term recovery in the Democratic Republic of Congo and surrounding region. - The Great Lakes Advocacy Group (GLAG), comprised of CARE Country Offices in Burundi, the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda, works to address the root causes of violence against women in the Great Lakes region of Africa, where the brutality and prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence remains a central humanitarian and development concern. Read more about GLAG>
- CARE has actively pushed for increased attention in the United States to the humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, playing a lead role in shaping and advocating for the passage of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act, generating support for the International Violence Against Women Act currently in the US Congress, and developing the advocacy coalition Congo Global Action. Learn more >
Additional Resources
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