Adelaïde Blavier’s research while affiliated with University of Liège and other places

The reintegration of survivors and their children born because of war rapes is a major issue in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. This study analyzed survivors’ posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the support received from their spouses, both in terms of their own well-being and that of their children. The PTSD form, DAS-16, Marital Support Survey, Sexual Desire Scale, and Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale tests were administered to 28 survivor couples and 32 control couples selected from the Kabamba cluster in Kabare, South Kivu. Over 70% of the respondents had PTSD scores above 34, required clinical assistance, and were not satisfied with their marital relationships. Based on survivors’ perceptions, the balance of marital support and the coherence of couple responses were negative. The survivors typically feel that they provide more support to their husbands than they receive. Unlike husbands, survivors presented low individual sexual desire and high dyadic sexual desire scores, while husbands’ dyadic desire decreased, and they no longer wished to have sexual relations with their partners. Rape survivors derive resilience from prayer and internal self-control, as they live in an environment in which war-related stress causes chronic trauma.

Objective The goal was to understand how children born of rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo induce parental stress and how parents work together to care for these children. Background Abundant literature is devoted to children born of rape, but nothing is known about the stress undergone by their parents in the care process. Method Twenty‐four rape survivor couples and 26 control couples with children aged 6–17 were subjected to Parenting Alliance Inventory (PAI) and Parenting Stress Index (PSI) tests in the east part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Result s The parental alliance of the rape survivor couples was comparable to that of the controls. However, for survivor couples, mothers received more support from their husbands for girls than for boys. Parental stress was low among fathers. It was high among mothers of boys and low among fathers of girls. Finally, it was high among mothers of boys compared with fathers. Conclusion Boys born of rape induce high parental stress compared with girls born of rape, and mothers experience more stress than fathers. Implications Support programs for families of rape survivors must be gender specific for both parents and children, and preferably a family‐centered approach should be considered.

This study was conducted in the eastern DR Congo to analyze the trauma of children born of rape (CBOR), and their behavior as it is perceived by their parents and community. Twenty-four families of women rape survivors and twenty-seven control families were used. The Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children, Child Behavior Checklist, and Child and Youth Resilience Measure tests were applied. In addition, a discussion group was conducted with community members. Comparatively to girls, boys born from rape are traumatized and have psychopathological concerns such as anxiety, depression, and summation, and high internalized and externalized behaviors compared to boys from control families. Furthermore, CBOR are aggressive and gather in gangs. Despite the suffering, both CBOR and their siblings increase their resilience over the years and derive it from their environment, especially in the absence of the father who has become a polygamist. Girls born of rape are more resilient than their siblings.

Background: Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) with the intent of forced pregnancy is common in conflict, and used as a way to dominate women and their society/community. There is growing recognition of the needs of children born of CRSV, particularly by humanitarian practitioners who are coming into contact with them in emergency settings. We sought to find out what is the state-of-the-art on interventions to support children born of CRSV (and their families)? Methods: We systematically searched electronic databases (JSTOR, Google Scholar, Scopus, Cairn Info and Embase) and hand searched reference lists of key publications, as well as non-governmental organisations (NGO), United Nations (UN) agencies, international organisations and governmental reports on this topic and in the area of genderbased violence (GBV), child protection, health and other sectors addressed at humanitarian practitioners. Results: Experiences of children born of CRSV include psychological, economic, medical, and legal aspects. Responses to their needs include food aid, medical care, housing assistance, financial support for the mothers of children born of CRSV, and therapeutic games and counselling. However, these responses remain insignificant and partial, and are very often only implemented in one setting. The paucity of the evidence base is clear. Conclusion: Children born of conflict related sexual violence are a special population, both because of the context in which they were conceived, and because of the experiences they face. To deal with the complexity of their situation and thus respond effectively to their holistic needs, various actors must work in synergy.

Stereotypical beliefs about male honor often impede the social reintegration of rape victims. We conducted a qualitative study in Kalehe territory in the province of South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, to understand strategies that facilitate the continuity of married life despite dishonor due to the rape of their wife. We interviewed men and women in eight couples separately. Our respondents implemented marital survival mechanisms that had not been thought out or planned. These strategies mainly involved a symbolic acceptance of women after rape. In our sample, some men remained in their marriages despite the perceived economic, sexual, and identity-related emasculation that made them less than men. Others engaged in polygamy. The presence of children born of rape made it difficult to their mothers for social reintegration. However, female children born from rape seemed to better reintegration than boys because of house chores, and marriage, from which their stepfather would benefit a bride price. The boys, on the other hand, were considered as herders and a potential danger associated with their biological fathers. In conclusion, our study shows that, although women reintegrated their matrimonial homes, they experience violence due to the hegemonic masculine socialization and patriarchal foundations.