Melanie first traveled to eastern Congo in the summer of 2005 and was mortified by the number of women affected by monstrous acts of sexual violence. Thousands of women have been victims of this horrific violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since Hutu rebels fled Rwanda after the genocide in 1994. These rebels pillage, rape, steal and burn villages as targeted acts of war designed to terrorize and exploit the people while reaping massive financial gains for themselves.
As of 2005, Panzi Hospital, in Bukavu, South Kivu, had treated more than 3,600 women who were Victims of Sexual Violence, with no news of this being reported in the U.S. at the time. Melanie was determined to return to the Congo and share the stories of willing women. She created this collection of photographs when she returned to eastern Congo in 2006, in response to the great need for awareness and for these women’s stories to be heard.“Silence is their greatest enemy”, Melanie stated, and hopes that through her illuminating work, more people will join the mission to get these women the help they need to rebuild their lives.
Melanie Blanding graduated with a BA in photojournalism and a minor in cultural anthropology from Western Kentucky University in May 2006. Shortly before graduation, Melanie was awarded the Alexia Foundation student grant for a photographic story proposal, which led to her work in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the summer of 2006 with Scott Blanding and Brad LaBriola. Melanie recognizes the significant influence that visuals have in modern American culture and hopes that her photographs will be used to have a positive impact on the lives of those she documents.
