[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 151 (Tuesday, September 23, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H8632-H8633]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1545
   CONDEMNING SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 1227) condemning sexual violence in the 
Democratic Republic of the Congo and calling on the international 
community to take immediate actions to respond to the violence, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1227

       Whereas the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the 
     Congo has been recognized as the worst crisis of violence 
     against women in the world, according to the United Nations 
     Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women;
       Whereas the Democratic Republic of the Congo has 
     experienced the world's deadliest crisis since World War II, 
     with an estimated 5.4 million deaths since 1998;
       Whereas hundreds of thousands of women and girls have 
     experienced an exceptionally violent type of rape in the 
     Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the full extent of 
     incidence of sexual violence is unknown as most survivors 
     experience repeated rapes, live in inaccessible areas, are 
     afraid to report the attacks, or did not survive them;
       Whereas sexual violence is used as a method of warfare by 
     all parties to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the 
     Congo as a means to terrorize and destabilize entire 
     communities;
       Whereas in 2007, Malteser International estimated that 70 
     percent of all rapes in South Kivu were committed by nonstate 
     armed groups, including foreign militia from Burundi, Rwanda, 
     and Uganda, 16 percent by Democratic Republic of the Congo 
     military forces, and 14 percent by civilians;
       Whereas control over the Democratic Republic of the Congo's 
     natural resources is central to the ongoing conflict;
       Whereas in 2002, the United Nations Panel of Experts on the 
     Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of 
     Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo alleged nine 
     United States business enterprises to be in violation of the 
     OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises;
       Whereas, on July 30, 2007, the United Nations Special 
     Rapporteur on Violence Against Women reported, ``Women are 
     brutally gang raped, often in front of their families and 
     communities. In numerous cases, male relatives are forced at 
     gun point to rape their own daughters, mothers or sisters. 
     Frequently women are shot or stabbed in their genital organs, 
     after they are raped. Women, who survived months of 
     enslavement, [said] that their tormentors had forced them to 
     eat excrements or the human flesh of murdered relatives'';
       Whereas rape with the use of knives, gun barrels, beer 
     bottles, cassava roots, or sticks can result in a tear or 
     fistula between a woman's vagina and bladder or rectum, or 
     both, causing the development of traumatic gynecologic 
     fistula;
       Whereas some women and young girls reportly have had their 
     lips or tongues cut off by their attackers so that they won't 
     report the crime to authorities;
       Whereas the Panzi Hospital, a specialized institution in 
     South Kivu, receives about 3,500 cases annually of women who 
     suffer from traumatic fistula and other severe genital 
     injuries resulting from these sexual atrocities;
       Whereas at Heal Africa Hospital in Goma, doctors reported 
     treating 4,800 rape victims and, in 2005, doctors performed 
     242 fistula-repair operations;
       Whereas current activities to treat survivors meet only a 
     portion of the need;
       Whereas the scope of the sexual violence affects women and 
     girls of all ages, from 10 months to 80 years old;
       Whereas a culture of impunity continues in eastern Congo 
     and rape has become a societal norm;
       Whereas in July 2006, the Congolese Parliament passed the 
     Law on the Suppression of Sexual Violence, which attempted to 
     strengthen penalties and criminal procedures, but in reality, 
     little action has been taken by the authorities to implement 
     the law and perpetrators continue to enjoy impunity; and
       Whereas the United States Government has codified its 
     commitment to the Democratic Republic of the Congo through 
     the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and 
     Democracy Promotion Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-456): Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) strongly condemns the use of all forms of sexual 
     violence, including rape, in the Democratic Republic of the 
     Congo;
       (2) condemns the actions of all armed groups in the 
     Democratic Republic of the Congo, including militias and 
     rebel groups, such as the Forces Democratiques de Liberation 
     du Rwanda (FDLR), Mai-Mai Militia, and the Front for 
     Patriotic Resistance of Ituri, that have created a culture of 
     impunity for rape and sexual violence;
       (3) calls on the Government of the Democratic Republic of 
     the Congo to develop a strategy to address and end the large-
     scale sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 
     by--
       (A) protecting its civilians from violence and enforcing 
     and respecting the rule of law in accordance with 
     international norms and standards;
       (B) holding all armed groups accountable for their actions 
     by implementing judicial reforms to investigate, arrest, and 
     try suspected criminals;
       (C) prosecuting and punishing members of the Congolese 
     Armed Forces who have committed crimes of sexual violence and 
     other atrocities; and
       (D) establishing a verification mechanism to ensure that 
     officers who have engaged in or have been complicit in the 
     commission of sexual violence, including rape, do not receive 
     important posts in the Congolese Armed Forces, the national 
     police, and other security services;
       (4) urges an increased effort by the United States through 
     the Department of State and other donor countries to provide 
     greater assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo 
     for police and military human rights education and training, 
     and training for those in the judiciary in order to improve 
     their ability to investigate, prosecute, and sentence 
     rapists;
       (5) strongly urges the United States Agency for 
     International Development to increase its assistance to 
     victims of rape and sexual violence in the Democratic 
     Republic of the Congo;
       (6) urges the Secretary of State to appoint a special envoy 
     to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to sustain United 
     States engagement in a peace process and stabilization 
     programs, and to continue its leadership towards the 
     implementation of the Nairobi communique;
       (7) encourages the Secretary of State to continue to work 
     with the heads of the other agencies implementing programs in 
     the Democratic Republic of the Congo to develop a plan for 
     systematically assessing the United States Government's 
     overall progress in achieving the policy objectives of the 
     Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and 
     Democracy Promotion Act of 2006;
       (8) encourages the international community to ensure 
     greater coordination in its response to sexual violence and 
     to provide further humanitarian and psychosocial assistance 
     to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in the 
     eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo;
       (9) reaffirms its support for democracy, the rule of law, 
     and human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 
     calls upon regional African leaders to support the 
     preservation of a democratic political system in the country;
       (10) encourages full protection of women and girls and the 
     promotion of their rights by emphasizing the responsibilities 
     of all countries to put an end to impunity and to prosecute 
     those responsible for genocide crimes, including those 
     related to sexual and other forms of violence against women 
     and girls;
       (11) calls on the Secretary General of the United Nations 
     and the permanent members of the Security Council to 
     immediately take steps to--
       (A) ensure that the United Nations Mission in the 
     Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) is fully funded and 
     strategically deployed in areas where sexual violence is most 
     prevalent;
       (B) include an adequate number of female troops and police 
     in MONUC to properly manage incidents of rape and sexual 
     violence;
       (C) provide more in-depth and continuing gender-sensitive 
     training to its peacekeepers; and
       (D) hold all military and civilian personnel associated 
     with MONUC who have committed acts of rape or sexual 
     exploitation accountable for their crimes and ensure that 
     they are permanently barred from serving in any future 
     peacekeeping operation;
       (12) encourages a transparent process for the government of 
     the Democratic Republic

[[Page H8633]]

     of the Congo's review of mining contracts; and
       (13) strongly encourages United States companies investing 
     and operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to 
     exert oversight concerning where their products are coming 
     from and who is benefitting from the trade of such products.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Crowley) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the resolution 
and yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend and colleague, 
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, as well as Congressman Brad Miller, for 
urging the condemnation of the most vicious crime imaginable, the 
systematic rape and mutilation committed against women, girls and boys 
taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, known as the DRC.
  The conflict in the DRC has been called the deadliest since World War 
II. Within the last 10 years, more than 5 million people have died, and 
the numbers keep rising. In fact, more people have died because of war 
in the DRC than in Iraq, Afghanistan and Darfur combined. As in other 
wars, women in the DRC are overwhelmingly the target of military 
aggression. Rape and mutilation are the perpetrators' preferred weapon 
of choice. Unlike other wars, the scale and systematic nature of rape 
in the DRC is unparalleled. In some villages, as many as 90 percent of 
the women and girls have been raped.
  This important resolution encourages the Secretary of State to work 
with the DRC Government to develop a strategy to address and end the 
large-scale sexual violence in the DRC. Our State Department and our 
American embassy in the DRC should have this extremely important 
mission.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues in the House to support this 
resolution.
  With that, I will reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1227, which 
condemns pervasive sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the 
Congo and calls upon responsible nations to take immediate steps to 
respond.
  While many have focused well-deserved attention on the humanitarian 
and human rights crisis in Darfur, Sudan, scant attention has been 
given to a deadly, festering conflict in the Democratic Republic of the 
Congo. The war in Congo has been called Africa's first ``world war,'' 
having drawn in seven neighboring countries and spawning some of the 
worst human rights atrocities known to man. An estimated 4 million 
people were killed by war, disease and starvation. Armed groups engaged 
in systematic rape, looting and acts of cannibalism often forcing their 
victims to victimize others. Children were forcibly recruited to serve 
as soldiers, and civilians were used as human shields.
  Though a 2002 peace agreement and elections in June 2006 paved the 
way for a new beginning in Congo, these atrocities have continued in 
the eastern part of the country where a proxy war for control over 
Congo's vast natural resources continues to rage.
  The level of sexual violence in eastern Congo is particularly 
alarming. It has become so pervasive, Mr. Speaker, and so severe, that 
the Panzi Hospital in South Kivu has had to perform an estimated 3,500 
surgeries annually to repair a particularly stigmatizing injury 
suffered by those who have been brutally raped. And that is just one 
hospital. Countless others suffer the physical injury and the social 
consequences of rape in silence living as outcasts in their own 
communities.
  All parties to the conflict in eastern Congo have taken part in such 
human rights atrocities, including the armed forces of the Congo and an 
increasingly vast array of armed militias. Even the United Nations 
peacekeepers, who have been deployed to help protect civilians in 
Congo, have engaged in acts of sexual exploitation and abuse 
themselves.
  This is an unspeakable and unforgivable crime that cannot be swept 
under the carpet.
  I want to thank my colleague, Mrs. Maloney of New York, for seeking 
to draw attention to the scourge of sexual violence in the eastern 
Congo and for seeking to inspire responsible nations to provide 
critically needed assistance to those in need.
  I would like to thank the sponsor, Mrs. Maloney, as well as our 
chairman, Howard Berman, for agreeing to modifications which would 
allay fears raised regarding the Convention on the Elimination of 
Discrimination Against Women and what was referred to as ``women's 
reproductive health.''
  With these critical changes accepted, I urge support to House 
Resolution 1227, Mr. Speaker.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I would now yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlelady from New York, Mrs. Carolyn Maloney, the sponsor of the 
resolution.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. I thank my colleague from New York for his 
tremendous leadership and my friend from the other side of the aisle 
for her support for this critical bill and so many others that are 
important to our country. I would like to thank Chairman Berman and 
Representative Brad Miller for their leadership along with 39 of our 
colleagues who have cosponsored this important Resolution 1227. I thank 
my colleagues for highlighting the sexual violence crisis that is 
plaguing the women and girls of the Democratic Republic of the Congo or 
the DRC.
  The eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the world's 
richest countries in natural resources, but it has been recognized as 
the worst place on Earth to be a girl or a woman. Women and girls from 
the age of 8 to 80 are being violently raped systematically on a scale 
unimaginable in the hundreds of thousands. As a strategy of war, they 
are often raped with guns and knives which destroy their sexual organs 
and forces them into a life of suffering from fistula and other 
deformities.
  As my friend from the great State of Florida mentioned, there are 
hospitals that are dedicated only to trying to restore their destroyed 
bodies from not only rape but the use of a knife or a gun. Countless 
women are being sold in sexual slavery for months on end. According to 
UNICEF, the DRC is currently witnessing the world's deadliest 
humanitarian crisis since World War II.
  In this war, the battlefield is literally the bodies of women and 
girls. Congress must continue its commitment to the people of the DRC 
as it has demonstrated in the past.
  I thank my colleagues for their support. The women in DRC and the 
girls deserve justice.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CROWLEY. We have no further speakers on our side, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1227, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________