OPINION SHAPER: Awareness crucial to bringing end to Congo"s atrocities

Last month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton embarked on a historic trip to Africa. During a forum conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo, she was asked her husband’s opinion regarding the DRC’s relations with China.

“My husband is not Secretary of State, I am,” Clinton replied.

Viewed by many as testy, the soundbyte was played relentlessly on the cable news channels, while newspaper columnists opined on whether her behavior was fitting for a secretary of state.

What didn’t fit easily into clip form, however, and what was relegated mostly to the proverbial back page, was anything of substance regarding the plight of the DRC. The region is the home of the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II, with more than five million lives lost because of war-related issues, all stemming from a battle over valuable natural resources.

Today the crisis continues in the country the United Nations calls “the rape capital of the world.” Sexual violence is wielded as a weapon against women, children, and even recently has become a growing problem with men.

During her trip, Clinton sought to speak out against these atrocities. In Eastern Congo, she met with rape victims, deeming the region, “the worst example of man’s inhumanity to women.”

Unfortunately, the plight of the DRC has long been ignored by the media. A report published this past May by the group Fairness and Accuracy in the Media (FAIR) documents the scarce coverage the country has received. According to FAIR, the “CBS Evening News” has aired only one segment pertaining to the DRC in the past five years.

But the country does have awareness advocates. CNN’s Anderson Cooper has covered the crisis for years, even broadcasting a week’s worth of shows live from the region in late 2006. Also, actor Ben Affleck has recently become to the Congo what George Clooney is to Darfur. In 2008, he filed dispatches from the DRC for ABC’s “Nightline” and penned a piece on his travels for Time magazine earlier this year.

These recognizable faces have no doubt introduced thousands of viewers to the conflict, but their coverage is still only a dent in the media silence.

Though frustrating, underreporting of the crisis is easy to comprehend. Viewers aren’t exactly clamoring for stories about mass rape. But it’s a story that deserves light. Modern life is now dependent on minerals, widely used in laptop computers and cell phones, which are primarily found in the DRC. Our appetite for these products connects us to the region and the inhumanity wrought there.

By no means do I advocate giving up such modern conveniences, but we as a nation can do much simply by bringing this conflict into the light.

The DRC shouldn’t play backdrop to sensationalist news coverage, and certainly shouldn’t be ignored altogether. Awareness is a critical first step toward ending the country’s suffering.

To learn more about the conflict in the DRC and how you can help, go to friendsofthecongo.org.

Stacy Adams, a medical secretary from Florissant, describes herself as a political/news junkie who’s interested in the role of the media in informing the public. She enjoys reading and writing essays and short stories. She can be contacted at Stacy8770@yahoo.com.