People all over the world have been coined the term “refugee” since the First World War. Only until recently has the refugee problem in the world become a crisis with about an estimated 65 million people displaced all over the world. However, a good majority of these people aren’t actually refugees according to international law. Most of these people are asylum seekers because they have fled their country in fear of being persecuted for a specific religious or political belief or being part of a particular group. In order to start the process of applying to refugee you first have to claim asylum. The UNHCR then determines whether or not the applicant’s situation is able to deem them refugee status. Should the applicant be denied refugee status they are able to appeal that decision and apply again.
A common practice used in the war in Eastern Congo is the weapon of rape. Soldiers use rape as a means to tear families apart and weaken communities that might oppose them. Men whose wives have been raped often reject them because they are too ashamed to keep them as a wife. We see this happen with Georgina Kasheke who lives in a camp for people displaced by the war. One day when she was gathering wood a group of soldiers jumped her and raped her. Once she told her husband he rejected her and left for fear of public humiliation and HIV. Synergy for Women offers protection and healthcare for women victimized by this crime. They learn trades in order to make money as their husbands have left them and they have no other means to make a living. Advertisements scatter the city to demonstrate that rapists will be punished for up to 20 years in prison, often times not being the case. The majority of victims never pursue prosecution of their rapists as most view the court system as corrupt.