(Global News) 248 women reported rape in Congo + TheFIGURE Women & Domestic Violence Discoveries

As many as 248 women in Central Africa’s Democratic Republic of Congo say they were attacked by soldiers during a violent two–day crime spree in June. There attacks were committed by at least 150 armed soldiers commanded by runaway national army Colonel Nyiragire Kulimushi. Kulimushi, formerly part of the Mai Mai tribal militia before the group merged with the national army, fled a military base near Nakiele June 8. In May, a report from the American Journal of Public Health revealed that 48 women and girls are raped each hour in the nation, which has been plagued by conflict and corruption.

TheFIGURE speaks:

Let's make America aware that Women are victims of incest, rape and domestic violence that often lead to trauma, physical handicap or death. And rape is still being used as a weapon of war, a strategy used to  terrify entire communities. Soldiers deliberately impregnate women of different ethnic groups and abandon them when it is too late to get an abortion. The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women is the first international human rights instrument to exclusively and explicitly address the issue of violence against women. It affirms that the phenomenon violates and impairs women's human rights and their exercise of freedom. Violence against women in the family occurs in developed and developing countries alike. It has long been considered a private matter by bystanders -- including neighbours, the community and government. Why are our communities choosing to be silent about Violence against our mothers, sister, aunts, cousins, grandmothers. But such private matters have a tendency to become public tragedies. In the United States, a woman is beaten every 18 minutes. Indeed, domestic violence is the leading cause of injury among women of reproductive age in the United States. Between 22 and 35 per cent of women who visit emergency rooms are there for that reason. In Peru, 70 per cent of all crimes reported to the police involve women beaten by their husbands. Violence against women is a violation of basic human rights. Luckily, there are organizations taking action in the fight against women who are being violated. "NOW" The National Organization for Women is the largest organization of feminist activists in the United States. NOW has 500,000 contributing members and 550 chapters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.