Why gender still matters: Sexual violence and the need to confront militarized masculinity

A case study of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo  

December 18, 2004 - (Africafiles.org) In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the urgent need to address violence against women and use of HIV as a weapon of war has been identified as a top priority by Congolese NGOs.  In Why Gender Still Matters: Sexual Violence and the Need to Confront Militarized Masculinity, A Case Study of the Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, released today by Partnership Africa Canada (PAC), Eli Mechanic shows the compelling need to tackle gender based violence head on.

In the report, Eli Mechanic explains that the ongoing conflict in the DRC has been marked by almost unimaginable atrocities, with sexual assault being a major component of the violence.  Up to one in three Congolese women living in conflict affected areas has been raped; and, in spite of the official ending of hostilities, reported sexual violence and domestic abuse has tripled in the last year in some provinces.   

“The only way to truly stop violence against women is to involve men – and to challenge the traditional, militarized masculinity that is prevalent amongst them’’, said Eli Mechanic. Traditional masculinity and violence against women are linked, but do not inherently have to be.  Realizing that masculinity is part of the problem neither excuses men from violent behavior nor simplistically blames biological maleness.  Many men do not participate in causing sexual violence, and for those that do, there is still hope. 

Gender identities are fluid and change with time – the destructive relationship that many men have with women in the DRC today can be altered.  A crucial step, then, towards addressing sexual violence is recognizing both the role that militarized masculinity has in perpetuating violent gender relations and that breaking this cycle requires challenging men and women to accept a new norm of masculinity where violence against women is unacceptable. 

From: http://africafiles.org/article.asp?ID=7473&ThisURL=./gender.asp&URLName=Gender