| Abstract. This presentation focuses on rape as a weapon of war used in the quest for control of minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Systematic rape is used in the DRC to destroy the social fabric by sexually torturing women and girls. The historical roots of this situation in colonialism and the contemporary quest for mineral resources are explained. A documentary video concerning what feminist scholars have called “femicide” offers information on the use of rape in the DRC and the severe social, psychological and physical consequences, including social ostracism; destruction of marriages and families; occurrences of fistulae, which cause incontinence and infertility; unwanted pregnancy; sterility; profound psychological trauma; and death. |