ABSTRACT
Multiple actors have mobilized discourses and policies on gender-based violence and particularly on sexual violence in order to establish prevention and victim support programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). On the basis of internationally produced knowledge, financial and technical resources have been allocated but the programs sometimes ignore the realities of the social, economic and political position of Congolese women and they therefore can negatively impact their lives. Sexual and gender-based violence narrow definitions have also led to the failure of many international interventions, leading to the deterioration of living conditions in the country. Huge flows of international funds have created a “market” of programs and projects, but no steps have been taken to seek long-term solutions by addressing the underlying causes of the problems, such as: economic inequalities, discriminatory laws and customs, exclusion of women from political power. International interventions focusing on a particular form of violence – namely rape by armed groups during conflict – can be understood as a form of development biopolitics, in which UN and NGO interventions target “women as bodies” subject to violence.
