Fantasies about rape.  In this film the woman leading the discussion says that men have “too many fantasies about rape.”  I think her words are accurate and poignant.  They show how men have these ideas of what rape is.  Rape, however, is not about sex.  It’s not about a woman provoking a man to the point where he cannot contain himself, literally.  It’s about power.  That is why it’s a tool of war.  It’s the power to take something from someone that should never be taken.  It’s the power to destroy families and villages and whole countries.  It is about the control; it’s not about the sex. 

Excuses.  During the discussion with the officers and soldiers they repeatedly pointed out that the women were “contributing” to their rape.  It’s as if men cannot control themselves.  They see a woman and then they cannot stop.  That is not true.  We are, each of us, responsible for our actions.  The rape is never asked for.  She never demands it.  The men are seeing the woman’s dress as a way of excusing their actions.  However, once we know that rape is not about sex, but instead about power, we see how the idea of provocative dress or being in a “bad” area late at night is only a veneer of an excuse.  

More excuses.  The one officer also expressed the belief that rape was a new phenomena in the Congo.  There was no rape before the war.  The foreigners brought in this crime.  The men of the Congo would never do such a thing, unless they learned it from outsiders.  This type of thinking leads to power inequalities between nations, it also dismisses the responsibility of the people of the Congo.  If rape is not their problem then we don’t need to address it – in fact the man says so at the end.  If we just wait, it will go away.  Let’s blame someone else and just wait.  A very fancy way of burying your head in the sand. 

However, the men were not the only ones making excuses.  The woman leading the discussion was also making excuses for the men.  She expressed the belief that if the laws were enforced the men would stop raping.  If only they thought they would be punished they would stop.  While this may deter some of the rapes, this does not address the root cause.  This is another excuse. 

The cause of rape is the power inequality between men and women.  We need to enforce laws, but we need to empower women and men to become equals.  Not to be the same, but to be equally respected and equally valued for their unique contributions.  We need to be seen as we were seen by God, when God created us.  “God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds in heaven, the cattle and all the wild animals and all the creatures that creep along the ground.’  God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he crated him, male and female he created them.”  (Gen 1:26-27 New Jerusalem).   

 About the Author

Maryann Philbrook:  She is originally from Louisiana in the United States, but currently lives in Austin, TX.  She worked for the World Student Christian Federation in Geneva, Switzerland as the Communications Intern in 2009.   Maryann started blogging in 2003, but has really picked up the pace since she started working for WSCF in 2009, with her blog about her experiences in Geneva.  Maryann graduated in 2006 from Occidental College in Los Angeles, where she received a bachelor’s degree in Politics.  After graduating from University she was a Beatitudes Society Fellow,  an Episcopal Urban Intern and an English Language Assistant in France.  Aside from being passionate about the French language, Maryann’s heart goes out to reconciliation among different strands of Christianity so that a more just world can be created.