The article was written by Marie Claire in October of 2010 and details heartbreaking accounts of the sexual violence experienced by young girls of Congo. Since the start of their civil war 16 years ago, rape has been used as a tactic by Guerilla soldiers to demoralize entire towns. Amnesty reports that half of their rape cases worldwide are in the Democratic Republic of Congo and half of those cases involve victims under 15. In Congolese culture, woman who have been sexually violated are considered "soiled" and societal pressure causes their husbands to leave them (often to raise children on their own). Amnesty International is a human rights organization that often lobbies for political and religious prisoners, so although this article strays a bit from their usual purpose, they are still a very credible source for issues involving human rights. The front page references a three-minute film that was shown in English cinemas between movies in 2010 titles Unwatchable. The short film essentially encompassed the military assualt on a civilian home during which a young English girl is brutally sexually assaulted by soldiers and her parents killed. The film was produced by British "Hollywood", but largely publicized by Amnesty because its aim was similar to their own. The purpose of both this article and that film was to show Westerners that rape in the Congo is more relatable than they may think-- that the people being victimized are no different than their mother, sister, or daughter. I think drawing a parallel between these two cultures is an incredible idea to increase awareness of such a pressing issue. I haven't seen the film, but I believe this article was affective because of the personal accounts described (appealing to pathos) and the author's unique way of connecting to the audience using comparison.
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_22145.pdf
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