Using social media to curb sexual violence in the Congo

A new initiative led by the US government’s ‘Voice of America’ (VOA) group and social media company CitizenGlobal, attempts to fight back against the alarming number of rapes in the Democratic Republic of Congo, writes John Holden.

Hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been raped and tortured during the conflict between rebel soldiers and government in Congo over the last 15 years.

It is actually a tactic used by the rebels to force acquiescence upon the local population.

"Congo Story" is a new online platform to record the violence in the Congo and create a country-wide platform for discussion between victims, their families and friends and even some of the rapists. This new initiative is being led by Voice of America - the official external broadcaster for the US federal government. They provide radio, TV and internet services in 44 languages outside of the US to a global audience of approximately 123 million people.

The increase in mobile phone use in Africa in the recent years has been phenomenal. Around 70% of adults in urban parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo own mobile phones while about a fifth have access to the internet once a week, according to Susan McCue of the Broadcasting Board of Governors in the US.

The new online platform will have the VOA's own reporting from the scene and first hand reports from rape victims. In addition there will also be content from other NGOs and peacekeepers and will come in any form users wish to communicate with: video, audio, or text. The problem of sexual violence is so rampant in the country, it is felt that no one organisation can combat it on their own. As such the new social media project will be a way for all the NGOs working there, including The Enough Project, Eastern Congo Initiative, the Hirondelle Foundation, and the United Nations-sponsored Okapi Radio – to pool their resources. It is hoped that the impact of social networking and sharing information on this scale may help to empower the victims and curtail this growing epidemic.