Kinshasa, Congo
So many women have been gang-raped by soldiers or rebels in Congo’s civil war that health officials have classified severe vaginal tearing as a “combat injury.” Thousands of women are suffering from rape-induced fistula, a condition that leaves them unable to control their bodily functions. International agencies have set up clinics in Kinshasa and other major Congolese cities to treat the women, who often require three or four surgeries and weeks of intensive care. But many victims are too sick or poor to journey to the clinics. “For every one case we treat,” said Dr. David Tu of Doctors Without Borders, “there could be 30 more in the rural areas we aren’t hearing about.” Congo’s civil war, which involves six countries, has dragged on for more than five years.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ has brought out the worst in its fansIn the Spotlight Amazon’s love-triangle hit ‘driving some of the most bonkers and unhinged online energy in the history of the internet’
-
Human evolution may be responsible for autism ratesUnder the radar Neurodiversity and a complex brain may go hand in hand
-
Codeword: September 17, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
