Programs Current Crises
Latest news: "Clinton Presents Plan to Fight Sexual Violence in Congo" (New York Times article, Aug. 12, 2009)
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton came face to face with the consequences of the brutality in eastern Congo on Tuesday afternoon when she met a Congolese woman who had been gang-raped while she was eight months pregnant.
“I’ve been in a lot of very difficult and terrible settings,” Mrs. Clinton said later. “And I was just overwhelmed by what I saw.”
Conflict and humanitarian crisis in the DRC have claimed the lives of 5.4 million people since 1998 and continue to leave as many as 45,000 dead each month, according to the IRC's Congo mortality survey.
Ongoing fighting has already displaced at least 250,000 since August 2008. The Congo government and rebel armed groups are said to have "committed serious human rights abuses, including mass killings, rape and torture," according to a UN report. The UN calls Congo the "rape capital" of the world.
Read the latest on IRC in Congo as the crisis unfolds.
Displaced people are at risk during the early days of an emergency
Refugees and people displaced within their own country are particularly vulnerable during the initial stages of an emergency. In addition to shelter, food and water, displaced people need access to reproductive health care.
In crisis settings, sexual violence is often widespread, and women and girls in particular are at risk of sexual exploitation and abuse. Neglecting reproductive health in emergencies has serious consequences: preventable maternal and infant deaths; unwanted pregnancies and subsequent unsafe abortions; and the spread of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.
Priority reproductive health services can save lives and reduce disability and illness, and should therefore be provided from the early days and weeks of every emergency. These services include coordinated activities to:
Read more about the Women's Refugee Commission's recommendations for providing reproductive health services in an emergency.
