Be the Voice of the Voiceless: Fight Violence Against Women

By Natasha L. Foreman, MBA

According to an article written by Joy Wanja, a reporter for the newspaper the East African, in ten short years there have been tens of thousands of women and children abducted and raped in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In the province of Goma, sexual violence is being used as a weapon of warfare to intimidate, instill fear, recruit children into the military, and clear out villages (leaving them exposed for looting and mining). The militia is raping women and children in front of their relatives, forcing the males in their family to watch or take part in the rapes. Since rape victims are seen as unclean in this culture, they are shunned by their families and seen as outcasts. Rape has become such the norm that it has grown into the cultural fabric of the DRC. 

These families will never be the same, and the militia members responsible may never be punished for this crime. Victims of rape in countries like DRC live in constant fear because either the attackers are never caught, or the ones who are arrested are never punished- only released a few days later and free to rape again. To read more about these horrendous stories and to find links about organizations that are joining forces to take a stand against this criminal behavior visit The East African website.

 

Natasha L. Foreman, MBA is a Business and Entertainment Consultant, Certified Personal Fitness Trainer, and Blogger. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Organization and Management with a specialization in Management Education, and a certificate in College Teaching. Natasha has been involved in various philanthropic and grassroots movements for over 20 years. She is actively involved in her community, visiting and speaking with students at local K-12 schools throughout Metro Atlanta, Georgia and Orange County, California. Natasha can be reached via email at natasha@natashaforeman.info, through her Paradigm Life blog atparadigmlife.blogspot.com, or you can follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/natashaforeman