In Congo, They Rape Three-Year-Olds

A gruesome new kind of rape is gaining popularity in Congo, and no one knows exactly why.

The latest suspects are a dreadlocked band of shiny tracksuit-wearing Laker fans called the Rastas. And yeah, we'd say it kind of gives us an appreciation for "rapists" like Kobe Bryant, but honestly, these rapes are so horrific it gives us an appreciation for, like, your run-of-the-mill pedophile, or that child pornographer in that one episode of SVU. Most of those guys, at least, work their "craft" with some acknowledgment that their victim is not, like, a beer bottle whose label you tear off and ball up before smashing the bottle into a million little pieces just because you're bored but an actual human.

Anyway, the rest of the story is about how the problem is exacerbated by the hiding spaces afforded by the hills and the jungle, and poor policing, and the fact that no one really saw this type of cruelty coming; I mean, why would you; but yes, if you ever wondered "where is the worst sexual violence in the world, and how bad is it?" now you know. And yeah, they do it to three-year-olds and generally burn the babies who are too young to rape.

Sexual Violence In Eastern Congo
[New York Times]