Rape and international security: the gender dimension of the Second Congo War

Abstract

This article examines the use of rape as a weapon of war during the Second Congo War in the post–Cold War context. It is estimated that, between 1998 and 2003, approximately 400,000 women aged 15 to 49 were raped, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health (2011). The analysis considers the multiple drivers of the conflict, including political instability, military intervention by neighboring countries, competition over mineral resources, the impacts of the Rwandan genocide, endemic poverty, and proxy warfare. These factors, combined with the hyper sexualization and objectification of the female body, contributed to the systematic use of sexual violence as a military strategy. The study engages with Cynthia Enloe’s analyses of gender and militarism and Barry Buzan’s contributions to international security studies, contrasting traditional and critical perspectives. The main objective is to critically analyze the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war in the Second Congo War, demonstrating the limitations of traditional security frameworks and proposing the gender perspective as a matter of human security. Based on a qualitative case study and a review of primary and secondary sources, this research contributes to the recognition of sexual violence in conflict as a central issue in both human and international security.