11/16/2005

Since 1996, the armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted in sexual violence against women and children. Rape is used as a weapon of war to torture, humiliate, punish, and break families apart in cruel and inhumane ways. Rape has become endemic in the eastern DRC leaving its thousands of survivors, mostly women, to deal with the devastating consequences, including genital and physical injuries, vaginal fistulae, unwelcome pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS, and emotional trauma. A few of the survivors are lucky enough to be able to go directly to a private hospital in Goma run by Doctors On Call Services or DOCS – HEAL.

A team from Refugees International recently visited the DOCS center in Goma to meet the staff and some of the survivors. With the assistance of the DOCS counselors, RI interviewed an 8 year old girl who was able to relate her story in bits and pieces. She told us that while picking cabbage in her family’s field, she was raped by a uniformed soldier. She was brought to the DOCS center by her brother and the village nurse. Her family is not able to stay with her at the center so this little girl has been adopted by a foster mother in the facility while she heals, both physically and emotionally.

The DOCS center is providing high quality, life saving care to women and children in very difficult circumstances.

Since July 2003, DOCS has identified 3,848 survivors, 17% of whom are children. The center has provided medical, surgical, and psychological care to 2,862 of them. Vaginal fistula, an injury that can be brought on by violent rape or obstructed labor is terribly stigmatizing for survivors, and difficult to repair. (In fact some of the surgeries take several procedures to close these fistulae). The cost of the repair surgery is approximately $180 – more than many of these women can ever hope to afford. DOCS has repaired 637 fistulae, half of these due to rapes and half to unsafe deliveries.

Numerous counselors, nurses, and doctors represent the specialties of family medicine, general surgery, obstetrics/gynecology, and orthopedics. The staff is on call 24 hrs a day for emergencies. There are three well-equipped operating rooms, including a delivery suite, and a recovery room. War related injuries are also treated there. UNICEF has supported the construction of 100 ward beds, two temporary tents of 30 beds each, a convalescence house for 60 women and children, and a classroom for skills training and literacy classes. Since many of the surgeries are complex, sometimes requiring multiple procedures, many of the women must stay close to the facility while they recuperate. A return home might require heavy work and the resumption of relationships that would compromise the results of the surgery.

Equally important is the delicate emotional healing and reunification with families, especially with husbands. These survivors of rape and sexual violence often find themselves rejected by their families and must rebuild their lives alone in a new community. UNICEF is establishing an outreach program to monitor the conditions of their return to insure that women can recover fully and go on to lead a full life. DOCS is hopeful that in the future when security returns to the region increased access to health care and earlier recognition of problems will prevent the physical and psychological injuries that are currently only treated at the center in Goma.

To make a donation to DOCS or for more information, please contact them at:

DOCS
Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
B.P. 540 Gisenyi Rwanda
docsgoma@softhome.net

DOCS USA
P.O. Box 24597
St. Simon Island, GA 33152 USA