As of right now 1,100 women are being raped each month in the Congo. That is why Amy Ernst, a rape crisis counselor, has dedicated her time to helping the victims in that area.
Ernst recently spent six months in the Congo learning about the pain and suffering the Congolese people are going through. She spent time interviewing soldiers and helping rape victims to help find a solution to the ongoing terror in the country.
“I saw something that had a story of a woman in the Congo and at the end it gave some statistics and it said that it was the place in greatest need in terms of sexual violence right now. So I felt moved to go there so I went,” Ernst said.
Not only is Ernst a rape crisis counselor, she is a also medical advocate in Chicago.
“I have studied sexual violence since college and have always been really passionate about it,” Ernst said.
When Ernst first arrived in the Congo there was a 57 year-old-woman who had been raped and was very sick. The woman had been raped in her home by a man who paid off the mayor and was walking around the city free with no repercussions.
“There’s absolutely no authority figures in the area. Even the governmental soldiers are involved,” Ernst said. “They’re raping women and stealing from people and killing them. There’s just no judicial system or structure. It’s purely chaos.”
Ernst helped the woman get to a treatment center but after about three weeks the woman passed away. Ernst continued to help more rape victims throughout the Congo.
“I was just getting really frustrated and wanted to confront someone and see how they would react to me,” Ernst said. “You have to handle it very carefully because soldiers have guns and they have no one to really keep track of them. They would definitely kill you if you asked the wrong questions.”
Ernst approached a young FRDC soldier who was being watched by his supervisor. When asked about rape the supervisor stepped in and told Ernst that the soldiers do not rape women because if they did they would be blindfolded and shot.
“It was absolutely a huge lie,” Ernst said. “I had just left a village where I was working with women raped by FRDC soldier. His group was the one in that area.”
Since returning to the U.S. after spending six months in the Congo, Ernst has returned to the Congo to help more rape victims and learn how we can help spread awareness to people around the world.
“Not a lot of people know about what is going on in the Congo,” Ernst said. “People knowing is how you get people moving in terms of taking action.”
As of right now 1,100 women are being raped each month in the Congo. That is why Amy Ernst, a rape crisis counselor, has dedicated her time to helping the victims in that area.Ernst recently spent six months in the Congo learning about the pain and suffering the Congolese people are going through. She spent time interviewing soldiers and helping rape victims to help find a solution to the ongoing terror in the country.“I saw something that had a story of a woman in the Congo and at the end it gave some statistics and it said that it was the place in greatest need in terms of sexual violence right now. So I felt moved to go there so I went,” Ernst said.Not only is Ernst a rape crisis counselor, she is a also medical advocate in Chicago.“I have studied sexual violence since college and have always been really passionate about it,” Ernst said.When Ernst first arrived in the Congo there was a 57 year-old-woman who had been raped and was very sick. The woman had been raped in her home by a man who paid off the mayor and was walking around the city free with no repercussions.“There’s absolutely no authority figures in the area. Even the governmental soldiers are involved,” Ernst said. “They’re raping women and stealing from people and killing them. There’s just no judicial system or structure. It’s purely chaos.”Ernst helped the woman get to a treatment center but after about three weeks the woman passed away. Ernst continued to help more rape victims throughout the Congo.“I was just getting really frustrated and wanted to confront someone and see how they would react to me,” Ernst said. “You have to handle it very carefully because soldiers have guns and they have no one to really keep track of them. They would definitely kill you if you asked the wrong questions.”Ernst approached a young FRDC soldier who was being watched by his supervisor. When asked about rape the supervisor stepped in and told Ernst that the soldiers do not rape women because if they did they would be blindfolded and shot.“It was absolutely a huge lie,” Ernst said. “I had just left a village where I was working with women raped by FRDC soldier. His group was the one in that area.”Since returning to the U.S. after spending six months in the Congo, Ernst has returned to the Congo to help more rape victims and learn how we can help spread awareness to people around the world.“Not a lot of people know about what is going on in the Congo,” Ernst said. “People knowing is how you get people moving in terms of taking action.”
