The issue of rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was the subject of an opinion article authored by human rights activist and Voices Without Borders Int'l (VWBi) board member Amanda Farnham in the January 2009 issue of the Ambassadors Online Magazine.In the essay, Farnham pointed out the burden of responsibility that has so far been forsaken by the the US government over the years. From the growing culture of perpetrator impunity to the sluggish inaction of Western officials and institutions, Farnham makes an urgent plead for a concerted and immediate legal action to prosecute both the criminals and the institutions, both political and economic, that have served to perpetuate these crimes. While she suggests there are reasons to be hopeful with Barack Obama and Joseph Biden's election and the appointment of Hillary Clinton to Sec. of State (all three with notable records of advocating for international human rights justice esp. on gender issues), it appears little has been accomplished in the first 100 days of the administration. Few public condemnations and even less media coverage.
Here's the full-text of Farnham's article: Morality in the Congo: Between Moralists and Apologists.
