BRUSSELS, (Reuters) – Soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo who rape and assault civilians often go unpunished because the justice system is too weak to hold the perpetrators to account, a rights group said yesterday.
Few senior army officers in the war-torn Central African country have been prosecuted for committing or allowing sexual violence against women and girls. Commanders often protect their soldiers and may even obstruct the course of justice, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released in Brussels.
“Prosecutions are likely only to be effective as a deterrent to combat sexual violence when high-ranking commanders are held to account,” the U.S.-based rights group said.
“The Congolese government, the U.N. and others have done a lot to support the victims of sexual violence but less to end the permissive atmosphere that causes it,” HRW researcher Juliane Kippenberg said in a statement accompanying the report.
