| dc.description.abstract | Over the last decades, there has been increased attention towards women s and girls protection and participation during conflict, peace processes, and peacebuilding. In the wake of this attention, sexual violence during conflict and in post conflict settings has been put on the international agenda. Both scholars and NGOs share a concern about the possible negative impact sexual violence may have both for the individual survivor as well as for the society as a whole. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of the countries that have been subjected to this increased attention. Survivors of sexual violence report that community exclusion and shame experienced after the attack is as challenging as concerns about the attack itself. I argue that reintegration is a process that includes both survivors and their communities, and therefore examine the community perspectives towards survivors of sexual violence and on reintegration. Based on nine focus group interviews I carried out in the Bukavu area in South Kivu, in the eastern DRC, I have explored these two interrelated research questions: How do communities in the eastern DRC perceive survivors of sexual violence? Furthermore, what does the community see as important factors for reintegration of survivors? The findings reveal that the community perceptions towards survivors are negative in the relational sphere (community, husband, family) and neutral in the professional sphere (market, job). The respondents identified five factors important to achieving reintegration for a woman: i) to not have disease, ii) that she hide, move or don t report the violence, iii) to get married, iv) to learn market-friendly skills or, though somewhat ambiguous, v) to participate in a support program. Receiving medical and economic assistance from support programs may help in the reintegration process, but it may also have the negative unintended consequence of highlighting that the survivor has been raped, which by the community is ascribed a negative meaning. A difference in civilian and soldier perpetrated rapes and the prospects for reintegration emerged within the discussions; given the characteristics of civilian rape it may be easier for this survivor to achieve these reintegration factors. This, however, may easily lead to neglection of survivors raped by civilians. The findings from the community suggests that the survivor has limited possibility of taking the reintegration process into her own hands, and that although female empowerment, medical and economic assistance are good things, it is not sufficient given the local customs and attitudes that she receives from the community. | eng |