[img]http://3.bp..com/-wLEV80Ar_IY/VCVopeP2ZII/AAAAAAAACUQ/t3m4xzfBkZU/s1600/jrf.png[/img]
It was five in the morning when Congolese police came to arrest Faith, beating her small children with their guns and leading her husband outside, never to be seen again.

A women's rights activist, Faith had organised protests condemning President Joseph Kabila's government for its failure to prevent s€xual violence in Democratic Republic of Congo.


"You are talking about Rap€, now we'll show you what Rap€ means," the police officers told Faith, before raping her 15-year-old niece in front of her. They then took Faith to prison where she was Rap€d so many times she lost count.

Faith, 24, was not attacked in Congo's lawless east, widely labelled "the Rap€ capital of the world" for its endemic s€xual violence, but in Bas Congo, in the southwest.

s€xual violence in Congo is often regarded as a by product of fighting in the east with atrocities blamed on soldiers and rebels - but Rap€ is also rife beyond the country’s conflict zones, Freedom from Torture said on Monday.

The UK-based charity said Rap€ as a form of torture has been routinely used since 2006 by Congolese security forces, including army and intelligence officers in the capital Kinshasa and elsewhere to punish politically active women.

"I was protesting against Rap€ - I didn't expect to become a victim of it," the charity quoted Faith as saying.

Much of the abuse is taking place in prison or en route to detention, it said, adding that many victims had little hope of obtaining justice due to widespread impunity.

SEE FUL STORY HERE...