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The New Sexual Violence Legislation in the Congo: Dressing Indelible Scars on Human Dignity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2013

Dunia Prince Zongwe
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Abstract:

This article describes a legal thread running from the commission of massive sexual violence in the eastern provinces of the Congo since 1996 to the enactment of liberal legislation in 2006 to combat sexual violence throughout the country, especially in eastern Congo. In doing so, the article fills a gap in the nascent legal literature on systematic sexual violence. It finds that the new rape law is progressive, liberal, gender-neutral, and in keeping with international law. However, an unfortunate lapse in legislative drafting puts in doubt the authority of the courts to use the new rape law to prosecute systematic sexual violence. Despite this weakness, as well as harsh realities such as resource limitations and institutionalized corruption, the new sexual violence law, “the law of shameful acts,” nonetheless provides a framework on the basis of which the state and rape survivors can prosecute perpetrators. It is a necessary step in upholding accountability and preparing for the more daunting task of healing communities affected by a devastating regional war.

Résumé:

Résumé:

Cet article décrit le fil conducteur juridique reliant la perpétration de violences sexuelles massives dans les provinces de l'est du Congo depuis 1996, la mise en vigueur de la législation libérale en 2006, et la confrontation active des problèmes de violence sexuelle au niveau national, et en particulier dans les provinces de l'est. En offrant ce parcours chronologique, cet article comble un vide dans la littérature juridique naissante sur les problèmes de violence sexuelle systématique. Cette recherche montre que la nouvelle loi sur le viol est progressiste, libérale, égalitaire, et similaire à la loi internationale. Cependant, des failles malheureuses dans la formulation de cette loi mettent en doute l'autorite des tribunaux dans son utilisation pour poursuivre en justice les cas de violence sexuelle systématique. Cependant, en dépit de cette faiblesse, ainsi que des réalités difficles de la vie quotidienne, telles que la quantité limitée de ressourses et la corruption institutionnalisée, la nouvelle loi conter les violences sexuelles appelée “loi des actes honteux” offre un cadre dans lequel les victimes de viol et d'injustice instituionnelle peuvent poursuivre les auteurs de ces crimes, C'est une étape nécessaire vers une prise de responsablité collective, et une préparation pour l'accomplishment de la tâche plus difficile de guérison des communautés affectés par une gurerre régionale dévastatrice.

Type
ASR Forum: The Case of Gender-Based Violence: Assessing the Impact of International Human Rights Rhetoric on African Lives
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 55 , Issue 2 , September 2012 , pp. 37 - 57
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2012

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