Symbol of Unhealed Congo: Male Rape Victims

Its terrible when women are raped. As a woman, I become outraged and angry when I know that other women are being rapped. It is particularly painful when there is a systematic system of raping women for political and economic gain. And this is a well known practice in Africa, especially in Congo, to instill fear into a village as a method of gaining political and economic power in an area

The emotional, physiological and physical damage caused by rape can be horrendous. For a woman who goes through this, they need all the support she can get to move on with her life.



Sadly, societies don't expect men to be rapped, nor feel they need the same kind of empathy and support . Instead, men live in isolatioms that must be unbearable. Since I am not a man, I don't think I can really understand, but I think the amount of shame a man must be experiencing is unbearable.

When I read that the number of men being ganged rapped in the Congo, I felt both deeply sympathetic and confused by my own feelings . Its hideous, terrible, awful and all of that, but I guess, I still couldn't be as empathic on how they must be feeling becaue I am not a man.

However, I still feel like their story must be known, and I want them to know that they still matter and nothing was or is taken away from them. Please read this article and show support for them in anyway you can..

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/world/africa/05congo.html?_r=1


And for these men, I can't change the political/social conditions because it requires a change of men's heart to stop this, and to heal those who have been hurt. So, I can only offer the hope that God can transform the heart because he knows what evil men do, and offers salvation through his promise from zion ( which was Jesus)


Psalm 53 (New International Version)

1 The fool says in his heart,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
here is no one who does good.

2 God looks down from heaven
on the sons of men
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.

3 Everyone has turned away,
they have together become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.

4 Will the evildoers never learn—
those who devour my people as men eat bread
and who do not call on God?

5 There they were, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to dread.
God scattered the bones of those who attacked you;
you put them to shame, for God despised them.

6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
l et Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!