When 150 women were
raped and burned alive in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in early
February 2025, the world barely noticed. The atrocity, which took place in
Munzenze prison in Goma during a mass jailbreak, was one of the most horrifying
instances of sexual violence in recent years (The Guardian, 2025). Yet, despite
its scale and brutality, global media coverage was limited, international
outrage was muted, and advocacy groups remained largely silent. This pattern of
neglect is not new—African women’s suffering often remains in the shadows of
global discourse. The lack of attention given to these injustices raises
critical questions about racial bias in humanitarian response, the devaluation
of African lives, and the systemic erasure of Black women’s suffering.
The absence of
widespread outrage following the Goma massacre is a stark contrast to the
response to similar crimes in other parts of the world. When Yazidi women were
subjected to mass sexual violence by ISIS, global media extensively covered
their plight, leading to policy interventions, international trials, and
advocacy campaigns (Human Rights Watch, 2016). When sexual violence was used as
a weapon of war in Ukraine, global institutions swiftly condemned the acts and
committed resources to support survivors (BBC, 2022).
Yet, in the case of
African women, the world reacts differently. Reports on mass rape in the DRC
have been documented for decades, but they rarely generate sustained global
action. Instead, these incidents are treated as unfortunate byproducts of war
rather than crises that demand urgent intervention (Inter-Parliamentary Union,
2021). This selective response reinforces the idea that Black women's suffering
is less deserving of attention, sympathy, and justice.
One of the main
reasons African women's suffering is overlooked is media bias. Research shows
that Western media disproportionately covers crises in Europe and North America
while underreporting conflicts in Africa (Al Jazeera, 2023). The framing of
African conflicts as "inevitable" or "tribal" diminishes
the urgency of the violence and contributes to global apathy.
Moreover, when
African women are victims of sexual violence, their stories are often reduced
to statistics, stripped of their humanity, and presented without the personal
narratives that evoke empathy. This contrasts sharply with the way violence
against white women is reported—often with in-depth personal stories, images,
and urgent calls for action (Gallup & Porticus, 2023).
Beyond media bias,
there is a broader systemic failure in global advocacy. While international
organizations have made progress in addressing gender-based violence, African
women remain at the margins of these efforts. The #MeToo movement, which
revolutionized conversations around sexual violence, had minimal impact in
African contexts. African women's voices were largely absent from the
mainstream #MeToo discourse, despite the fact that gender-based violence is
rampant across the continent (The Independent, 2025).
Organizations such as
the United Nations and Amnesty International have issued reports on sexual
violence in conflict zones like the DRC, but these reports rarely translate
into sustained advocacy or policy change. In contrast, when sexual violence is
used as a weapon of war in Europe or the Middle East, there is immediate
mobilization of resources, investigations, and calls for justice (BBC, 2022).
The lack of similar responses for African women suggests that their suffering
is not viewed as equally urgent or worthy of intervention.
Who Speaks for African Women?
One of the most
glaring aspects of this erasure is the absence of African women’s voices in
global conversations about their own suffering. International organizations and
Western activists often take the lead in discussing gender-based violence,
sidelining African women who have firsthand experience of these atrocities.
This not only perpetuates the narrative that African women are voiceless
victims but also results in solutions that do not address the realities of
their lived experiences.
African women
activists and grassroots organizations have long been at the forefront of
fighting against gender-based violence, but their efforts receive little
recognition. Groups like the Congolese Women’s Fund and Women for Women
International have been working tirelessly to support survivors of sexual
violence in conflict zones, yet they receive a fraction of the funding and
attention that Western-led initiatives do (Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2021).
The tragedy in Goma
is a brutal reminder of how African women’s suffering is systematically erased
from global consciousness. The world cannot continue to ignore these atrocities
while rallying behind similar causes elsewhere. Media organizations must do
better in covering these crises with the same urgency they afford to other
conflicts. International advocacy groups must center African women’s voices and
prioritize their suffering. And most importantly, global institutions must
recognize that the pain of Black women is as real, as urgent, and as worthy of
action as that of any other group.
The lives of the 150
women who were raped and burned alive in Goma matter. Their pain matters. Their
erasure is unacceptable. Until African women's suffering is treated with the
same gravity as that of others, the fight for gender equality and human rights
remains incomplete.
References
Al Jazeera.
(2023). Media bias in global conflict reporting: The African exception. Retrieved
from www.aljazeera.com
BBC. (2022). War
crimes in Ukraine: International response and legal action. Retrieved
from www.bbc.com
The Guardian.
(2025). 150 women raped and burned to death in Goma prison attack. Retrieved
from www.theguardian.com
The Independent.
(2025). The forgotten victims: Why African women are left out of global
feminist movements.Retrieved from www.independent.co.uk
Gallup &
Porticus. (2023). Gender power imbalances in Africa: A study on women’s
rights and representation.Retrieved from www.gallup.com
Human Rights Watch.
(2016). Yazidi genocide: Sexual violence as a weapon of war. Retrieved
from www.hrw.org
Inter-Parliamentary
Union. (2021). Widespread sexism and violence against women in African
parliaments.Retrieved from www.ipu.org
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