Two important topics that deserve long posts, but I haven't got the time and haven't any particular insights so instead I'll link you elsewhere.
First, have you heard about the truly sickening atrocities being committed against women in the Congo? As part of the war/rebel action/what-have-you in the Democratic Republic of Congo, women are routinely raped in ways so brutal, you could not have imagined it in your worst nightmare. Bobita brought my attention to this intolerable situation that, somehow, the United Nations seems to be tolerating just fine. (As little as the U.N. has done on Darfur, they're doing less for the women of the Congo.) Read Canadian Stephen Lewis's speach about the atrocities. Don't read it if you're feeling fragile—really, the events he discusses are more horrifying than the violence in those "torture porn" horror movies like Hostel or Saw II or Captivity, and they're factual. Not sure what we can do to spur the global community to action on this. Please share any ideas you may have.
Second, Amanda Marcotte on the global gag rule. Read to learn why the gag rule (that prevents U.S. funding of overseas women's health initiatives) isn't about abortion so much as depriving women of contraception and reproductive health care.
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I saw a POV story last week on PBS about it. This organization seems to be doing what it can to improve the lives of the women recovering from rape and violence in The Congo: http://www.healafrica.org/
If you see the POV come back I recommend watching. It's a nice, personal perspective of what can be done.
Thanks for the heads up and the links. Depressing reading, but important.
if you search 'congo' on the huffington post you'll find a post about the sunday times article about the rape epidemic in the congo. unbelievably, you'll also find a bunch of commenters who think the whole thing is a bunch of american propaganda!
yeah! they thought the story was 'unbelievable' or could have been more 'credible.' i was, in a word, incredulous. i wonder what it would take to convince the rape apologists out there that whole populations of women and girls are being raped to death?
there is also eve ensler's organization that has taken on this issue.
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