Community Perspectives and Pathways to Reintegration of Survivors of Sexual Violence in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Journal article

Nordås, Ragnhild & Ingebjørg Finnbakk (2019) Community Perspectives and Pathways to Reintegration of Survivors of Sexual Violence in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Quarterly 41 (2): 236–282.

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Survivors of sexual violence not only face physiological and psychological after-effects of abuse, they may also face community exclusion. Unlike other studies which have taken the perspective of the survivors, this study examines how the community perceives the reintegration process for female sexual violence survivors in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We find a stark contrast between the perceived low prospects for reintegration in the relational sphere (i.e., community, family, and husband) and the relatively low barriers to reintegration in the professional sphere (i.e., market and job). Reintegration is also more difficult after rapes by soldiers than by civilians.