obstructed labor and are particularly common in Sub-Saharan Africa where women begin childbearing at an earlier age, where malnutrition is common and where access to skilled birth attendants is greatly lacking.(60, 61) In DRC, abortion is illegal except in the rare instances where a physician determines that it would be detrimental to the mother’s health to continue with the pregnancy. Congolese law makes no provision for women who become pregnant after rape. Thus, women who decide to terminate a pregnancy are usually forced to do so illegally and often with the help of traditional healers. Staff at Panzi Hospital report caring for women who suffer complications of illegal abortions, with post-procedure infections being some of the most common complications (personal communication from physicians at Panzi Hospital). Further study is needed to investigate the outcomes of rape-related pregnancy within this context. A baby being delivered by Cesarean section at Panzi Hospital (Justin Ide, Harvard University News Office) HIV TRANSMISSION Many sexual violence survivors were concerned about STIs in general and about HIV in particular. Estimates for the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in DRC vary considerably. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates HIV prevalence in DRC to be 6% among military, soldiers and police.(62) Amnesty International estimates the HIV prevalence to be 20 – 30% among those presenting to medical services in Eastern DRC (based on reports from several health care facilities).(39) Regardless of the true prevalence of HIV/AIDS, the risk of transmission is a legitimate concern during any unprotected sexual encounter. The risk of HIV transmission is further increased in the setting of wartime rape because gang rape is common, and because vaginal tears and lacerations, which often result from the violent nature of wartime rape, further increase the risk of HIV transmission.(63) 42