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Example research essay topic: Running Head Women War And The Part 1 - 2,022 words

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Running head: WOMEN, WAR AND THE CONGO Women, War and the Congo Women, War and the Congo Introduction Since the end of the Cold War, the world countries have faced another wave of conflicts on the international landscape civil wars and intrastate conflicts. These civil wars are, probably even worse than the military conflicts between the countries, as the wars seem to be in the past, while the civil wars seem to be something unimaginable and something unbelievable in our days, These civil wars cause massive deaths and destruction. Civil wars result in the uprooting of the civil population, and erosion of the social capital. There are many reasons and many events that have contributed to the emergence of civil wars in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, such as increasing level of poverty, the struggle for very scarce resources during the period of the rapid economic modernization and rising expectations in the developing and poor world countries, numerous rivalries and ethnic divisions, rivalries between the nations and ethnic groups in the countries (Kumar 1), and numerous political repressions by the governments, strict authoritative control, and arbitrary national borders imposed by the colonial powers, to mention a few. In addition, there are other reasons, causing civil wars in the African region, such as support to the specific political and military groups by the outside powers, as well as the erosion of the international architecture created during the war (Kumar 1). Sometimes civil wars occur during national disasters and calamities, and serve as an additional catalyst to the complex emergencies.

The war in the Congo is no exception to the rule, and it is only one war in a long list, being only one example among the others, like civil wars in Bosnia, Angola, El Salvador, Cambodia, Guatemala, Georgia, Mozambique, Liberia, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, and many others. Some of these conflicts have been finally resolved, while some of these conflicts, and especially the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, still continue unwanted. The present paper is aimed to explore the war in the Congo and to examine the impact of this civil war on women, and the ways in which women are affected and respond to these conflicts. Basically, the paper undertakes an attempt to trace what is the influence of the war in the Congo on women, how does war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo impacts women's social, economic, and political roles and responsibilities, what types of women's organization have been created in the civil war era in order to address the challenges and problems women in the Congo come across with, and some other important issues related to women and the war in the Congo.

Basic Definitions Before we start discussion, it is necessary to provide definitions of the basic terms that will be used throughout the study. Civil war traditionally the term civil war has a variety of meanings, and defined broadly to include both high- and low intensity conflicts in which insurgents seek regime change, often resulting in new constitutional arrangements and / or change in national boundaries. (Kumar 5) The synonym of this word expression is intrastate conflict, or conflict that is also used throughout the study. International community includes bilateral and multilateral agencies, as well as regional and intergovernmental international organizations, or any other organizations involved in development and humanitarian assistance. International assistance this term is used to define the political, economic, and technical assistance programs founded by the international community (Kumar 5). War and the Democratic Republic of the Congo Historically, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has faced numerous wars.

Since 1994 the country has been wrought by civil and ethnic strives. A massive inflow of refugees has arrived into the country from Rwanda. In May 1997 the government of Mobutu See See was undermined by the rebellion under commandment of Laurent-Desire Kabila (Eaton 44). Laurent-Desire Kabila has changed the name of Congo back to the Democratic Republic of Congo with its capital in Zaire. Soon Laurent-Desire Kabila's former supporters and allies turned against him, and the governor was attacked by Ugandan and Rwandan-backed rebellions in August 1998. The soldiers from Angola, Zimbabwe, Chad, Namibia, and Sudan supported the new regime in Kinshasa.

In July 1999 a cease-fire was signed, but this didnt bring peace, as the war continued. The vast majority of conflicts occurred in the eastern part of the country, where the civil war was financed by the revenues from illegal extraction of minerals (e. g. cassiterite, clean, and diamonds). Laurent-Desire Kabila was murdered in January 2001. Laurent-Desire Kabila's son, Joseph Kabila became his successor, and was proclaimed the head of the state (Weiss and Carayannis 151).

Joseph Kabila was undertaking the efforts to stop the war. He signed an accord in South Africa in 2002. The peace time was until July 2003, and the Transitional Government was formed. However, the vast territory of the country remained unsecure, and the conflicts continued to occur (predominantly because of the continued activity of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, and the Ituri conflict). The war in the Congo was called the bloodiest war in the world history since World War II. More than five million peaceful civilians and soldiers have died in result of this conflict.

However, the United Nations continue to emphasize that approximately one thousand people a day are still continue to die in result of the civil war in the Congo, and claim that the year of 2006 is a make or break point for the continuing humanitarian crisis. Be as it may, but the civil war in the Congo affects not only soldiers, but peaceful civilians as well. The world countries, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and other world organizations remain concerned about the violence against women in Congo, and claim that extreme sexual violence against Congolese women remains pervasive in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and that local Congolese authorities do almost nothing or little in order to stop the violence or to punish the guilty. Many Congolese women are held as slaves, and many of them suffer a lot, while some Congolese women try to stop the civil war and fight against the violators. The situation described above provides an additional background to the problem of the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and provides an understanding that the civil war in the Congo affects women and gender relations. The following chapters of the study, therefore, should recount the influence of these conflicts on Congolese women and gender relations, within the categories of economic, social, political, and psychological effects.

The brief profile presented in this chapter illustrates the impact the civil war has on women, and emphasizes on necessity to discuss the experience of Congolese women during the war, in refugee camps, as well as the subsequent reintegration of the Congolese women into their native societies. Characteristics of Civil War in the Congo Relevant To Women Basically, all civil wars have several characteristics that are relevant to women, and the war in the Congo is no exception to the rule. Similar to any other civil war, the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo causes violence. The war inflicts violence on civilian population of the Congo and on women in particular. It is almost impossible to minimize the harm caused by the soldiers, the rebels, and the civilians to women during the war time. Secondly, civil war in the Congo displaces significant numbers of people.

The war causes physical insecurity, wholesale destruction, disruption in livelihoods, and many other things. Women especially suffer from the shortages of food, and this leads women to escape from their homes and to seek refuge in the other parts of the Congo, or even in the neighboring countries. Women more likely than men seek refuge, as men are forced to serve in the troops and to protect their country. At the same time, women have to protect their children, and they undertake all efforts to find safe place, where their children will feel safe and protected from the violence and devastation of the land. The war in the Congo forces women to flee across the borders of the Congo to adjacent countries, or at least to move to remote rural districts and regions for ideological and political reasons. According to the researchers, women and children generally constitute a majority of refugees and internally displaced populations. (Kumar 6) It should be also noted that as women move to other areas of the country, or event to other neighboring countries, this displacement to refugee camps and to refugee settlements, often in inhospitable environments, have great negative influence on women and gender relations (Kumar 6).

The traditional roles played by men and women in society, are also redefined very often, as civil war affects the family institution that comes under severe stresses, and sometimes leads to divorces or desertion. It is also a common knowledge that in case women also have to take part in civil wars, this contributes to the "redefinition of women's identities and traditional roles. " (Kumar 6) In the Democratic Republic of the Congo women, being a part of troops, often equally participate with the male soldiers in cleansing and military operations. Congolese women also play an important role in such military operations, like transportation, medical care, intelligence, and communications. It should be also noted that Congolese women's reasons and motives for taking part in the civil war are often the same as the Congolese men's. Some women also feel obliged to take an active part in the civil conflicts because their relatives' or husbands' participation in the military operations, political pressure, or the positions occupied by Congolese women's family members. According to the researchers, "culture, ethnicity, class, and age affected the nature and extent of women's involvement in war, but like men, women [are] both the perpetrators and the victims of violence. (Kumar 7) Next, the war in the Congo, similar to any other civil war, pursues an attempt to destroy the supporting civilian infrastructure.

Military operations and civil war conflicts cause massive destructions and waste to factories, buildings, and roads. They also destroy the agricultural facilities, fields, and crops, thus being conductive to economic and political instability. In its turn, economic destruction dramatically increases poverty and starvation. Women and children are most vulnerable to these factors, and are more affected by poverty and starvation than male population of the Congo. During the civil war women often face significant malnutrition, and face the threat of death. It should be also taken into account that the military conflicts in the Congo leave a legacy on bitterness, anger, and hatred among the women.

Women often become victims of violence, and when the war is over, they often remain living together with their offenders in the same villages or settlements. According to the researchers, this situation is not unusual, as "in many countries, former combatants of opposing groups settled in the same communities, keeping alive bitter memories. " (Kumar 7) All these characteristics of the civil war in the Congo obviously have a dramatic influence on social, political, and economic status, roles and responsibilities of the Congolese women, and affect their relations with the male population of the Congo during and after the civil war. Although not all these factors are devastating, undesirable, and harmful, still, they are affecting women's lives to a great extent. However, as it is claimed by the researchers, the civil wars and intrastate conflicts in the countries also may create "opportunities for change, because the very fabric of social life is torn by violence against civilians and massive displacement. Although it imposes severe hardships and deprivation, conflict also provides space to develop gender equality and can pave the way for women's empowerment in the social, economic, and political lives of their countries. (Kumar 7) The War in the Congo and its Impact on Congolese Women As we have already noted, there are three basic categories of the influence of the war in the Congo on Congolese women: economic, social and psychological, and political. The intensity, the nature, ...


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