PDN Photo of the Day

Invisible Crime (5 Photos)

Invisible Crime (5 Photos)

All Images © Gwenn Dubourthomieu. A witch doctor in Katanga, Congo.

Katanga, a province situated in the southeast part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is one of the most stable and prosperous regions of the country yet suffers from a rash of violent sexual crimes every year which results in thousands of victims. Gwenn Dubourthomieou was one of the noted applicants of this year’s Getty Grants for Good.  See more of his work here.

Many victims are abandoned by their husbands and looked down upon by society.

“My husband heard what had happened to me. He told me that he could not bear to live with a woman who had been raped. He told me that he was ashamed and that he could not bear the way other people would look at him … He then threw me out of the house as if suddenly I had become a stranger … Since then, I live alone and without any assistance. I have no means of support, even my children abandoned me.”

Required to pay for the medical expenses and numerous fees to press charges, the victim loses hope in presenting the preserved evidence in court.

In remote jurisdictions, where customary justice takes precedence over the civil justice system, the organization of “fairground courts”, (the transfer of the court to the location of the offense), is a way of raising the awareness in the surrounding communities.

Posted in:

Documentary/Photojournalism

Tags:

, ,

Comments:

3 comments

Share

3 Comments

  1. Deeply appreciative of the chance to see these photographs. Nothing would happen to improve the lives of these women without the evidence of these images. And thanks to PDN for putting them in your auspicious spotlight.

Top of Page