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In the Shadow of Violence: A U.N. Exhibit of Women in Congo

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Ron Haviv/VII

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A touring photo exhibit on women in Congo is on view at the United Nations headquarters in New York through Nov. 12. The exhibit features photography by Lynsey Addario, Marcus Bleasdale, Ron Haviv, and James Nachtwey, of VII Photo Agency and tells the story of the effects of gender-based violence on women in Congo and around the world.

In this photo, A family mourns the death of an 11-month-old child, who died from disease, in Gina. More than 3.8 million people have died in the Congo conflict since 1998, the majority due to disease and hunger.

Ron Haviv/VII

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Soldiers loyal to the rebel Tutsi leader Nkunda stand guard at one of Nkunda's bases in Kitchanga. Thousands of civilians have been displaced from their homes across the region of North Kivu and are suffering from grave health problems and malnutrition. In the last 12 months, about 410,000 Congolese civilians have been displaced by new fighting, and coupled with the previous 400,000 from past years, there are now about 800,000 internally displaced people in Congo.

Lynsey Addario/VII

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Sifa Zawadi, 16, sits in the Heal Africa shelter in Goma. About six months before this photo was taken, Zawadi was raped in the town of Sake, North Kivu province. She could not run away from the fighting in Sake because she is handicapped by elephantiasis and is now six months pregnant.

Lynsey Addario/VII

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Maria, who lost an arm defending her children and says soldiers ate flesh from it after they amputated it, breastfeeds in Nizi in August 2003. Ongoing conflict and the lack of access to medical care has claimed the lives of millions in Congo since 1998.

Marcus Bleasdale/VII

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A woman preacher exorcises the evil spirits from children in the capital city of Kinshasa in June 2006. Many street children are thrown out of their homes after a family member has died or when there are too many mouths to feed; as an excuse, their family says they are possessed by evil spirits and must be expelled.

Marcus Bleasdale/VII

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Soldiers of General Ngodjolo in his stronghold in the village of Zumbe in 2006. The militia and government forces in Congo have been accused of using sexual violence as a weapon of war.

Marcus Bleasdale/VII

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Men mine for gold in Watsa in October 2004. Most of these artisan miners are combatants who control these mineral-rich areas and profit from its exploitation. The majority of the gold mined in this region leaves Congo illegally and is sent to Uganda. Illness and disease are rife; malaria is the biggest killer.

Marcus Bleasdale/VII

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Street children bathe at a care center in Kinshasa. Some facilities, which offer very basic schooling, food, and lodgings, are available in exchange for light labor. Some centers have been criticized for being abusive to the children.

Marcus Bleasdale/VII

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Displaced Congolese receive treatment at a clinic for malnutrition run by Medecins Sans Frontieres in the Tche camp, eastern Congo. These members of the Hema tribe fled their homes after attacks in January 2005.

Ron Haviv/ VII

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Congolese wait to see a priest who is hearing confession at a camp for internally displaced persons in Gina. The priest spent 10 days in the camp, conducting mass weddings, baptisms, and confessions.

Ron Haviv/VII

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A man whose leg was amputated after he was wounded in battle is examined at a MSF hospital in Congo.

James Nachtwey/VII Agency

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A mother tends to her two children, both of whom are suffering from malaria and dysentery, in the MSF hospital in Bunia, Congo.

James Nachtwey/VII Agency

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A mother feeds her severely malnourished 4-year-old daughter at the MSF Therapeutic Nutritional Center in Kayna, Congo. The family's village was attacked and the population fled into the forest, where many fell ill.

James Nachtwey/VII Agency

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The women's ward at the MSF hospital in Bunia, Congo. Once an agricultural warehouse, the hospital is known by its former name, Bon Marche.

James Nachtwey/VII Agency

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