“We don’t take up arms but we, the women, suffer the most.”- En genuskritisk studie av Human Rights Watchs rapporter rörande sexuellt våld i Kongo.

Sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been a widespread and severe problem since many years. There are numerous reports about the brutality and the extent of the unprecedented violence in Congo and about the way it affects the population, especially women and girls. This essay is a critical analysis of three reports on sexual violence from the non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch and shows the problems that arise with a gendered focus on sexual violence and also attempts to analyze the way the NGO presents victims and offenders with a special focus on the presentation of masculinity and femininity. Addressing only the sexual violence towards women and girls, and ignoring the violence against men and boys enforces the gender stereotypes that exist in our society. Acknowledging the sexual violence towards men and boys as well as towards women and girls could help in uncovering the root causes of conflict related sexual violence and also enforce the battle against this widespread horror, no matter who it happens to