NDLI: Experiences of female survivors of sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo: a mixed-methods study

Content Provider	Springer Nature : BioMed Central
Author	Kelly, J T Betancourt, T S Mukwege, D Lipton, R VanRooyen, M J
Abstract	Background The conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the deadliest since World War II. Over a decade of fighting amongst an array of armed groups has resulted in extensive human rights abuses, particularly the widespread use of sexual violence against women. Methods Using a mixed-methods approach, we surveyed a non-random sample of 255 women attending a referral hospital and two local non-governmental organizations to characterize their experiences of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). We then conducted focus groups of 48 women survivors of SGBV to elaborate on survey findings. Quantitative and qualitative data underwent thematic and statistical analysis respectively. Findings Of the women surveyed, 193 (75.7%) experienced rape. Twenty-nine percent of raped women were rejected by their families and 6% by their communities. Thirteen percent of women had a child from rape. Widowhood, husband abandonment, gang rape, and having a child from rape were significant risk factors for social rejection. Mixed methods findings show rape survivors were seen as \"contaminated\" with HIV, contributing to their isolation and over 95% could not access prophylactic care in time. Receiving support from their husbands after rape was protective against survivors' feelings of shame and social isolation. Interpretation Rape results not only in physical and psychological trauma, but can destroy family and community structures. Women face significant obstacles in seeking services after rape. Interventions offering long-term solutions for hyper-vulnerable women are vital, but lacking; reintegration programs on SGBV for women, men, and communities are also needed.
Related Links	https://conflictandhealth.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/1752-1505-5-25.pdf
Ending Page	8
Page Count	8
Starting Page	1
File Format	HTM / HTML
ISSN	17521505
DOI	10.1186/1752-1505-5-25
Journal	Conflict and Health
Issue Number	1
Volume Number	5
Language	English
Publisher	BioMed Central
Publisher Date	2011-11-02
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Public Health Emergency Medicine Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Health Services Research Epidemiology Conflict Studies conflict Democratic Republic of the Congo Panzi Hospital rape sexual violence
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Health (social science) Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Journal Impact Factor	3.1/2023
5-Year Journal Impact Factor	3.6/2023

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1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
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