Christian women targeted for rape and torture

Government agents in the Democratic Republic of Congo rape and sexually abuse women in religious organisations to punish them for being politically active, the charity Freedom from Torture has revealed.

In a report released ahead of a major international summit in London on preventing sexual violence, Freedom from Torture said that rape was used as torture by prison and security officers outside conflict zones. “Many of the women we treat were arrested because of their charity and human-rights work – and many are affiliated with religious organisations,” a spokeswoman said.

The report, Rape as Torture in the DRC, analysed evidence from 34 medical reports and found that 33 women had been raped multiple times and all had been burnt or cut with knives; 29 were identified as Christian, 28 Catholic.