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By Passy Mubalama
Illegal abortion is a common practice in several provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in Goma, Nord-Kivu, where the number of deaths recorded as caused by these back-door procedures is increasing day by day at a worrisome rate. Several foetuses have been found in recent weeks in parts of Goma, located in the east of the D.R.C., alarming many in the community.
Local administrator Mapendo Victorine said in an email she is very concerned about this “criminal” act:
Congolese law prohibits abortion in all parts of the country, and as such severe punishments are sanctioned to all those involved in the elicitation of illegal abortions. Lawyer Alain Lushule, a member of the bar in Goma, explained to us that Articles 165 and 166 of the Congolese Penal Code (Book II) mandate a punishment of 5 to 10 years’ imprisonment for having an abortion, and 5 to 15 years for participation in the act.
Photojournalist Alain Wandiwoji expressed his concerns on his blog over the distressing situation in Goma:
A mother, indignant after seeing the foetus, told us in a face-to-face interview:
Fortuna Lufungula, a human rights activist in Goma, in an email touched on the cultural and moral reasons behind many in the community’s denunciation of abortion:
Can it be said that abortion is a crime without identifying the causes, issues and consequences of an act that is carried out by many young women and even some married women in Goma? What are the main reasons that lead these women to have abortions?
Parents’ inflexibility
Many parents in Goma still find it difficult to accept their daughters falling pregnant, even if they are not minors. When parents discover that their daughter is pregnant, she is many times immediately removed from the family home and taken to the man responsible for the pregnancy, forced into starting her own family.
Mwamini Bujiriri, the mother of a family from Goma, drove her 14-year-old daughter from their family home after discovering she was pregnant by a young man from the same village. Bujiriri explained in an interview:
Many parents do not want to hear the word “abortion” because, according to many of them, abortion is murder.
The irresponsibility of young men
Irresponsibility of the young men involved, often alongside religious beliefs, force many young women into underground abortions and even infanticide.
A young girl, who does not want to be identified, gave us her account:
There are a lot of other young girls who, like her, are forced into illegal abortions that are carried out in secret and bring with them many associated risks, including death.
Many cases are recorded by the CONDE medical clinic in the Karisimbi neighborhood in Goma. A doctor from the clinic, who wishes to remain anonymous, told us:
Beliefs and abortion
Many girls who are raped, sometimes by armed men, do not have abortions for fear of committing a sin against God. These girls suffer in silence, both with their unwanted pregnancies and the difficulty of upholding their religious beliefs.
A victim of sexual violence told us about her ordeal in the Lydia Centre, where she is receiving support. The centre, which oversees victims of sexual violence, was created by the ASLPC, Action Sociale pour la Promotion des Laissés pour Compte (social action association to help those left behind) in Goma. She explains:
The situation according to medical specialists
A gynaecologist from the Provincial Hospital of Goma gave his point of view:
Given the degree of the situation, it seems that the Congolese government should consider an alternative to the current law, the gynecologist explained:
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Previously published on globalvoices.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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Photo credit: Istockphoto.com