Combating Gender-Based Violence and Fostering Women's Well-Being: Religion as a Tool for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Congo

Introduction

In the aftermath of decades of war that reinforced patriarchal structures, dangerous conditions for women within and outside the home have earned the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) the unfortunate moniker of the ‘rape capital of the world’. Systematically combating GBV in the DRC at the individual, family, and community levels has become an important priority for institutions dedicated to supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals of gender equality (Goal 5), health and wellbeing of women and girls (Goal 3) as well as peaceful, just, and inclusive societies (Goal 16). Consequently, women’s health and wellbeing have been the target of many interventions deployed by international aid organizations and NGOs (non-governmental volunteer organizations), but with limited success. Why are common interventions against GBV inefficacious? The authors suggest that there are three main reasons. First, most interventions tend to adopt a western-centric, biomedical, and reductive approach focused on treating physical and reproductive illness and increasing women’s advocacy. However, inadequate attention to the social and cultural factors that perpetuate and maintain GBV undermines the efficacy of these interventions (Qasim & Vemuru, 2019). Second, interventions tend to focus on improving individual outcomes for women, rather than creating social change in communities where religious and social norms discourage open discussion of sexual violence. Third, interventions focus on the numerous problems in the region, but neglect to consider the embedded cultural strengths and assets among its people that can be harnessed to create positive change and individual and societal well-being.