Congo Week set to raise awareness of atrocities
Andrew Zaleski
Issue date: 10/14/08 Section: News
It had been a typical Sunday for Cindy Parcover when she sat down that evening to watch television last January.
After channel surfing for a few minutes, she stumbled upon a 60 Minutes special report by Anderson Cooper about the rape of women in the Congo. In the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - amid civil wars between government-sponsored armies, resource hoarding by the cronies of big corporations and fighting within a fractious civilian population - the raping of women as young as three years old and as old as 75 is used as a tool by soldiers and civilians alike to establish power and terrorize innocent populations.
Parcover watched in horror and disbelief.
"When I'm shown something so horrible, I feel like I need to do something, but I don't know what to do."
Confused about an appropriate course of action, Parcover turned to her friend, Marya Howell, seeking answers. Howell, an associate director at Loyola's Center for Community Service and Justice (CCSJ), watched the 60 Minutes report with Parcover. Equally stunned, Howell resolved with Parcover to bring awareness of the Congolese women's situation to Loyola.
"It's [speaking about the raping of Congolese women] sort of like the Holocaust, only no one's paying attention," Howell said.
Howell and Parcover, along with Lauren Lapointe, an assistant director of student activities, arranged for a showing of the documentary The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo last semester. After 120 students showed for the screening, the three women knew this was an issue that could resonate on Loyola's campus.
"We were flabbergasted," said Parcover. "That many students don't show up for a lot of stuff; it was very humbling."
At this point, the team started formulating an action plan for the fall 2008 semester. Margaret Musgrove, director of Loyola's Women's Center, was recruited, along with a number of students from a slew of campus organizations: the African Students' Union, the International Affairs Association, Beauty of Women, Student Activities, Campus Ministry and CCSJ. They formed the group Loyola for Congo Women in the hopes of demonstrating their empathy with Congolese rape victims.
After channel surfing for a few minutes, she stumbled upon a 60 Minutes special report by Anderson Cooper about the rape of women in the Congo. In the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - amid civil wars between government-sponsored armies, resource hoarding by the cronies of big corporations and fighting within a fractious civilian population - the raping of women as young as three years old and as old as 75 is used as a tool by soldiers and civilians alike to establish power and terrorize innocent populations.
Parcover watched in horror and disbelief.
"When I'm shown something so horrible, I feel like I need to do something, but I don't know what to do."
Confused about an appropriate course of action, Parcover turned to her friend, Marya Howell, seeking answers. Howell, an associate director at Loyola's Center for Community Service and Justice (CCSJ), watched the 60 Minutes report with Parcover. Equally stunned, Howell resolved with Parcover to bring awareness of the Congolese women's situation to Loyola.
"It's [speaking about the raping of Congolese women] sort of like the Holocaust, only no one's paying attention," Howell said.
Howell and Parcover, along with Lauren Lapointe, an assistant director of student activities, arranged for a showing of the documentary The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo last semester. After 120 students showed for the screening, the three women knew this was an issue that could resonate on Loyola's campus.
"We were flabbergasted," said Parcover. "That many students don't show up for a lot of stuff; it was very humbling."
At this point, the team started formulating an action plan for the fall 2008 semester. Margaret Musgrove, director of Loyola's Women's Center, was recruited, along with a number of students from a slew of campus organizations: the African Students' Union, the International Affairs Association, Beauty of Women, Student Activities, Campus Ministry and CCSJ. They formed the group Loyola for Congo Women in the hopes of demonstrating their empathy with Congolese rape victims.
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Mabel
posted 10/23/08 @ 12:17 AM EST
Fantastic article! It's great to hear that there is an increasing awareness of the situation in Congo. The article discusses this human rights issue in a very effective and objective manner. (Continued…)
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