Social+Issues-Womens+Rights-FA11


 * __Significant individuals are underlined.__**

The Congo was colonized in the late 1870s by the Belgians. __King Leopold__ of Belgium wanted to have complete control over a colony. He sent Henry Morton Stanley to sign treaties with tribe leaders in the Congo. King Leopold then convinced other countries that he had legal right over the Congo. He also said that his main goal was to spread civilization to the people of the Congo. He sent armed forces to the villages to help spread this. However, the men took many of the women hostage and raped and killed them. The Congo was under Belgian control until 1960 when it gained its independence. The years under their control were not good for the people of the Congo, including the women. Foreign countries took natural resources from the Congo and offered nothing in return. Women in the Congo gained suffrage, or the right to vote in political elections, in 1963. Women's rights in the Congo were especially low during the Civil War. It started in 1996 and the effects of the war (including violence against women) are still continuing today. The biggest problem during the war was rape. In fact, the Congo has been labeled the "Rape Capital of the World" because of the Civil War. Women have been raped by the soldiers in the war and rebel groups fighting over ethnicity. The __U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton__ drew attention to the sexual assault happening in the Congo. She plans to visit Goma where she will meet with rape victims and other sexual crimes committed by the soldiers in the millitary and rebel groups.
 * The Congo**

Throughout history, the women of Rwanda have definitely had good times and bad times regarding their rights. The Rwandan Kingdom was formed around the time of the 14th Century. It was colonized later by Germany in 1884. However Belgium was the main colonizer afterwards. The most drastic event in recent history was the Civil War between the Hutu and the Tutsi in 1990. Then, in 1996, there was a period of peace between the two tribes. This has led to changes In Rwandan culture and government, with a large focus on women's rights. Women had rights before colonization as well. Traditionally, women had a very large role in the family life. They were considered the "family manager" and men and women consulted each other before making decisions. However, women in wealthier families held much more power than women in poorer families. Women also had property rights, such as owning cows. However, after colonization and before the Rwandan Genocide, women had some rights, but were lacking in others. For instance, many married young and some had few property rights Everything belonged to their husbands. Women in Rwanda gained suffrage in 1961.This was the beginning of a long political history for women. Women's rights in Rwanda were very low during the time of the Rwandan Genocide. The genocide began in 1994 because of tensions between he Hutu and Tutsi peoples. They were warring "tribes" that were placed in the same area during colonization. The Hutu began to attack the Tutsi, led by the Hutu extremist, __ Theoneste Bagosora __. One of the major causes of the Rwandan Genocide was the assassination of __President Habyarimana__ when his plane was shot out of the sky. __Agathe Uwilingiyimana__ was serving as prime minister at the time. She was also the first female prime minister in Rwanda. After Habyarimana's assassination, Agathe Uwilingiyimana was targeted, even though she was only a moderate Hutu. She was raped and murdered by Hutu extremists. Many women were raped during this time. The Rwandan Genocide is perhaps one of the biggest examples of "war rape" or "genocidal rape." These sexual assaults did not necessarily end in death. In fact, in murder cases, men were targeted more than women because they were seen as a bigger threat. More men were killed during the genocide than women. After the genocide ended, the majority of the population was female. This left the women of Rwanda to solve the problems resulting from the genocide. They did a very good job of this. Rwanda has gone from a country that had one the worst cases of women's rights abuses to being the only country in the world that has more women representatives in their government than men.
 * Rwanda**