A large crowd gathered around a mobile courtroom in the village of Kamanyola, Eastern Congo, to witness the final phase of the trial of 15 army officers accused of raping minors. They watched in silence, some straining their necks for a better view, as a soldier stripped a colonel of his ranks after the judge ordered his dismissal from military service and sentenced him to seven years in prison for raping a 14-year-old girl in September. Judge Innocent Mayimbi, who convicted 12 military personnel, stated, "The sentencing of a high-ranking officer is a clear message that no one is above the law."
The proceedings held before a mobile military court provided a rare opportunity for justice in rape cases in the conflict-ridden Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to a 2010 study published by the American Medical Association, an estimated 40% of women in this area have experienced some form of sexual violence. During the trial, conducted under a canopy over a wooden structure outdoors, several victims and the father of one of them testified while wearing specially designed hats to conceal their faces, indicating the fear of stigma that prevents many from seeking justice. One victim stated, "I no longer have any friends."
In a 2014 report on combating impunity for such crimes, the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in Congo noted some progress but pointed out that "most cases of sexual violence go uninvestigated or result in no prosecution of offenders, and only a small number are reported."
