Conservationist View and Feminist View

There are many different points of view regarding the demoralizing and atrocious circumstances of the  war in the DRC. One perspective surrounding this issue is the conservationist view. The Congo has many important ecological aspects: The Congo River, which is a lifeline in a land of no roads or railways, tropical rain forests, which play an essential role in regulating the earth's climate, and finally, important animal populations of gorillas and elephants. The war in the DRC has caused conservationists in Africa to raise a major concern for the environment of the Congo. 

Aerial shot of a rain forest in the Congo. 

Rain forests have suffered this war greatly. Congolese people have cut down trees to sell or to make into furniture, flooring, and doors to make money. The trees that fall are worth millions of dollars on the international market and are essential to maintaining the planet's climate. 

Forests that gorillas call home happen to be one of the strategically important regions for rebels fighting government troops from the DRC. Wildlife rangers protecting the gorillas have been forced to flee to nearby towns, leaving the gorillas vulnerable to heavy gunfire and shelling. However, as of May 2010, the WIldlife Conservation Society has established a national park, a community-managed reserve, and various logging concessions that are essential to maintaining the populations of not only gorillas, but elephants and chimpanzees as well. Also, a "shoot to kill" policy against poachers has been adapted by conservationists to protect these endangered species. They vow to shoot any poacher who comes near the animals. Some conservationists even believe that the protection of endangered species is more important than the protection of human life. 

Endangered animals in the Congo River Basin.

The cruelty of this situation is that the Congo is a country abundant and flowing with many natural resources. Due to the war, the country is swallowed in immense poverty, and the resources are not being used to their ultimate advantage. The conservationists are trying to change this by protecting the rivers, forests, and animals.

At least 300 gorillas are killed each year for bushmeat in the Congo.

Another perspective regarding the circumstances of the Congo is the feminist view. Women have been, and still are, physically and emotionally violated through rape and torture. They are kidnapped while working in the fields usually by a village raid, which involves two to five armed men. They are then taken from the village to the forest where they are held captive and are gang raped for days to months. In some villages, two-thirds of the women have thought to have been raped, and an alarming 33% of all the women raped in the DRC have been girls ages 5-14. With the increase of HIV and AIDS at a shocking rate, along with other STDs, something must be done about this issue.

Feminists everywhere are trying to help this ongoing issue. The group "Women for Women International" provides programs for the victims that allow them to heal from their trauma by being with counselors and other victimized women. The program helps to rebuild these women's lives by teaching them to become literate and helping them to develop simple skills in order to invest into small businesses. A recent documentary,  The Greatest SIlence: Rape in the Congo, has helped to rase awareness regarding this issue. 

Women for Women International supports women in war-torn regions with financial and emotional aid, job-skills training, rights education and small business assistance so they can rebuild their lives.