The Normalization of Rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo Illustrated in Ruined by Lynn Nottage

To highlight this topic, Kristof and WuDunn relate the history of Meena Hasina, an Indian woman in her thirties as she walks down the street while adults stare at her, some even glowering – this reflects how bad gender inequality is in some developing countries, to the point of not even being able to walk on the street. Kristof explains that Meena was from a poor family that sold her to a brothel. Of all the possible ways to raise money like reaching out to a foreign non-government organization (which offers incentives to set up stalls so women can start their own business selling goods), or joining an activist group to promote education to young girls, her family simply saw no value in Meena and decided to sell her. Meena ended up in a brothel, but the authors also use this event to thoroughly develop on the abuse of women. Kristof clarifies that once women enter into the brothels business they feel worthless with no hope; in fact, society looks them as a sub-level of illiterate girls with the sole purpose of prostitution – which is absolutely false. The problem here is that women feel rejected by society and are psychologically traumatized as is the case of Ainul the family matriarch in Meena’s brothel. She had been herself a prostitute when she was young, and eventually her daughters were also forced into prostitution. Ainul was so shattered that eventually she became the woman in charge of beating up new girls and finally in charge of the brothel forcing the daughters of other women into prostitution. In this case, the authors pointed to the fact that society forces women into sexual slavery, and that they get punished when they try to escape, so in turn, women exploit more

There were no jobs even if you were educated,” a 32 year-old male ex-combatant said (Archibald and Richards 8). So, youths have one choice in what they do around chiefs and youth leaders, and it is to run away from everything. Though, the choice is a poor decision, and now, instead of a semi-stable life, they lead a life of fighting and violence. Now, the women of Sierra Leone are kept at the bottom of the social ladder by customary law (Archibald and Richards 10). To be kept at the bottom because of being a different gender is belittling; barely being counted as a human being with not even a third of the rights one should have. The population of both youth and women seem to be in a process of characterized as the invention of human rights ‘from below’ (Archibald and Richards 2). A Luanda-based British diplomat did say the international community could intervene and help the youth and women, but it will not (Gordon 1). No one would come to aid these people, to help them through the rough patches in their society, and, in all, they were left to solve their own problems. Life in Sierra Leone was not close to being at a stable level, it was getting rougher to live in the country. The people of Sierra Leone were getting treated badly as the economy in the country was lowering.

Women, unfortunately, have been very discriminated against, even in this century. Women are so cruelly thought of that now, women see nothing wrong with mental and physical cruelty towards them. Since the status of women in Africa, is so low, it has caused many men to overpower women…physically. More

“The Longest War” by Rebecca Solnit convinces readers that the violence against women are in the content of the United States and the world. Solnit presented information that is regarding violence and rape statistical and personal views of gender and the inequality of male violence toward comparing women’s violence to men or women. She uses numerical facts ad provides statements of how this affects the way women perceive their surroundings. Solnit clearly makes a strong frequency and violence of rape by listing the details of rape and violence eight times within the first paragraph of the text. She uses many examples of how rape is a gendered issue and how many victims that fall prey to violence which lends us toward an engaging need to

Among violence against women and gender inequality, death is a constant factor that runs through the whole story this culture is surrounded by it every day and even when there is drought death is expected, but infant mortality is a constant battle. There are multiple occasions where infants die, mainly because of what they are being fed and how they are treated. It is understood that Monique’s baby’s health is declining throughout the story. The main cause of children

Since the start of the Sierra Leonean war in March of 1991, innocent civilians have been the primary target of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF)’s wrath. The people of Sierra Leone have faced significant problems due to the invasions and attacks by the Rebel Forces and are the main population that is being affected by this group’s disapproval of the government. One person who experienced profound changes in her life due to the start of this war is Mariatu Kamara, a victim of a Rebel attack that cost her both her childhood and her hands. Throughout her memoir, “The Bite of the Mango,” she is faced with numerous traumatic events and meets an abundance of people who were very significant in her life and some of whom helped her survive the war. Kamara also gives the reader a variety of themes to use as a foundation to understanding war life, which also serve to help readers learn more about life, grow as people, and rise above to help others in need. Mariatu Kamara has not only changed the lives of people all throughout Sierra Leone by giving them a voice and an outlet to share their experiences, but has also proved to be an inspiration for countless amputees around the world.

“Things had rapidly changed in a matter of seconds and no one had any control over anything” (Beah 29). Ishmael Beah’s harrowing story about what it meant to be a rebel during the war in Sierra Leone is disturbing and unfathomable. For him, killing was a second nature and he considered the war to be as addictive as cocaine and marijuana. Unlike A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Mariatu Kamara’s story is told from a completely different perspective. In The Bite of the Mango, she describes having her hands chopped off by the rebels and became impregnated by her uncle’s close friend. With the help of journalism, Mariatu’s story was heard globally. At the end of the book, she learns how to use her voice as a catalyst for good and

According to ICRtoP, the Democratic Republic of Congo is reported to be the “rape capital of the world” with an estimated 15,000 rape cases in the Congo’s eastern provinces alone. Rape is a tool of war used by the various armed forces in the Congo in order to “create instability in

During the Rwandan genocide, some rapes occurred recurrently throughout a timespan. “Sexual enslavements occurred when a woman was detained, typically in the house of an Interhamwe, and subjected to repeated sexual assaults over a period of days,” (Mullins 727). These kinds of rapes belong in their own category because of the added element of confinement and intent to continually rape and therefore, harm. An Interhamwe soldier named Rafiki, personally sought out one Tutsi woman whom he had

Therefore, the story of a young woman named Debarah sheds light on women lying about being raped to gain access to international aid. Debarah knew that raped women had access to resources, particularly food, and money. Her neighbors knew that she had two brothers for whom she was the sole provided after the deaths of her parents. Debarah neighbors told her to go to the clinic "say you were raped and you will be supported." Warner. The Congo We Listen To. (2017).

Lynn Nottage’s play, “Ruined”, is an eye-opening story that takes place in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the Civil War. The play is centered around women who have been sexually abused, and are living and working in a brothel owned by the protagonist Mama Nadi. The play gives deep insight to the hardships women had to go through during that time. The play is a melodrama and a great example of a contemporary version of realism. This play also illustrates three important characteristics of storytelling we discussed in class: stories teach, stories allow us to personalize issues, and stories build compassion.

As soon as she arrived in Congo, Lisa began searching for rape victims and interviewing them. They were hesitant to share their experiences with her at first, but as she grew closer to them and told them that she herself is also a rape victim, the silence started to disappear. The survivors started sharing some rather disturbing stories about how they were raped and tortured. Many of the survivors state that their genitalia have been mutilated. They say that soldiers inserted wooden branches into their vaginas, and one was even forced to sit on burning coals, completely burning her anus and rectum. Many of the women are forced to spend the rest of their lives with incontinence due to fistulas, which are ruptures and tears to the walls of their

Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize winning play Ruined takes place at Mama Nadi’s brothel in the Congo where a civil war is being waged and coltan is the new gold being mined from the earth. Mama Nadi reluctantly takes Sophie and Salima into her establishment to work alongside Josephine as entertainment for miners and soldiers. Before coming to Mama Nadi’s, Sophie, Josephine, Salima all experienced rape. The word rape is so common in our society that it has lost its intensity and heinousness to a person who has not experienced it. Rape is a general term to describe what the women experienced but it does not give any hint to the struggle that comes after the event. For example, what it does to a person’s mind, the lasting scars on someone’s body, and how it can change a person’s personality. Many critics assume that rape is the tragedy in the play, but Nottage’s use of the word “ruined” emphasizes that the real tragedy is the consequences of those soldier’s actions on these women 's lives and how it affected their interactions with society.

The following imitation biography spotlights a young woman in North Kivu, Congo and her harrowing journey during the late 1990’s. Her trials start with her sexual assault and continue through to the birth of her child, concentrating on her mental and emotional health through the process. This story gives insight to the harsh realities of rape victims through social isolation, lack of medical resources, and overall deterioration of health. While this story has elements of fiction, her details are sourced from studies and true stories that delineate the adversities of young women in Congo.

In chapter 8 of Global Issues, Local Arguments, June Johnson exposes the concept that women are being used as a tactic and war as well as being sexually abused. In “Defending Human Rights: Human Trafficking, Forced Child Labor, and Rape as a Weapon of War, (384-439),”developing countries women are being treated unfairly as well having little say in the government leading to a delay in fixing the issue. Johnson also includes “Ten Radical Acts for Congo the New Year (434-41).” The stake holders include National Governments, International Advocates, and civil society for they are struggling to balance the controversies about human right without getting fully involved. The visual shows a girl holding a for sale sign to evoke peoples emotion this will in turn raise awareness. In “A Human Connection,” Victoria Herradura speaks about people how ignore the issues due to them feeling “safe.” Herradura states, “I realize that we often need exposure to the outside world to feel the need to help globally (393).” In the international voices it is shown that women are making progress in the equality in some places. It is also known that women are still unequal but the social gap is shrinking. The hot spot is the democratic of republic of Congo, where women’s treatment are bringing up conflict. These issues were caused by the end of slavery and thus leading to people needing a new source of workers. The effects of the Ill treatment consist of children and women dying. Many stake holders