continuation of their marriages was contingent on having a negative HIV test. Regardless of the reason for abandonment or marital discord, without the economic support and protection traditionally provided by men in DRC, women become exceptionally vulnerable. Congolese policy and socio-cultural customs continue to discriminate against women, effectively preventing their economic advancement and independence. Sexual violence programs must therefore focus on the family as a whole and must include support services for the spouses of women who have been raped. LIVELIHOODS Almost 74% of sexual violence survivors in this study reported agriculture as their source of livelihood. It has been estimated that in DRC generally women “account for 73% of those economically active in agriculture and produce more than 80% of the food crops.”(65) In South Kivu more specifically, women are responsible for such a large share of the agriculture, that they are described as being the primary driving force behind the whole subsistence economy.(2) How then, does this epidemic of sexual violence affect the livelihoods of women in South Kivu? First, women who suffer bodily injuries may be unable to return to the heavy physical labor required to cultivate the fields. Other women may be in a position to return, but may only be able to work in a reduced capacity, thus reducing their income and limiting the ability to support their families. Some sexual violence survivors are displaced from their homes and their communities either because the family home was lost in the attack, because their marriages dissolve, because they can no longer feel secure in their homes, because they are ostracized by the community or because they move to a larger town to access the services they require. Regardless of the etiology behind the displacement, these women are all forced to desert their fields and to at least temporarily abandon their source of livelihood. Because many of these women move to larger towns, such as Bukavu, this displacement has resulted in an accelerated rate of conflict-induced urbanization. Although not specifically documented for Bukavu, other under-developed countries have described high rates of prostitution among young, uneducated women who move to larger cities without a means of supporting themselves.(66) We therefore speculate that sexual violence survivors who are displaced to larger towns and cities in Eastern DRC may be at a similarly high risk of turning to prostitution to support themselves and their families. Given the significant impact of sexual violence on livelihoods, what is the overall impact of sexual violence on the economy in South Kivu? With the predominance of women in all aspects of agricultural production and the relative importance of agriculture to the local economy, the sexual violence epidemic has the potential for wide ranging economic impacts. Most women directly affected by rape in South Kivu (the mean age was 35 in this study) are strong and healthy individuals who are in their prime in terms of economic productivity. It is worth exploring further how the extensive sexual violence reported in this region may affect the overall work force and the relative role of agriculture in the economy. The impact can only be negative, particularly in the agricultural sector, and Eastern DRC already has very high levels of unemployment and extensive poverty. 44