Democratic Republic of the Congo in the USA

Democratic Republic of the Congo in the USA

In comparison to the surface area of western Europe, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the 2nd largest nation in sub-Saharan Africa. The DRC covers a surface area of approximately 2,344,858km2 and has a population of about 71.2 million people (Nations Online, n. d). Moreover, most of the country is covered by significant arable land, immense biodiversity, and vital minerals such as copper and cobalt. However, despite all the resources, the DRC is ranked as the world’s third poorest country. Poverty is high and extremely rampant within the state; hence, as of 2018, approximately 73% (60 million) of the Congolese lived on less than a dollar a day (World Bank, 2021). Consequently, Congo’s high resource availability, contrary to its elevated poverty rates, begs the question of what the issue is with the country’s societal and political context. Thus, this research paper evaluates the country’s human rights and social justice as well as clinical practice.

  1. Human Rights and Social Justice

Current Country of Origin Issues

The Democratic Republic of Congo has been involved in major conflicts that led to the death of approximately 5 million people between 1994 to 2003 (Venugopalan, 2016). The two major conflicts in Congo include; the 1st Congo war that led to the fall of Mobutu Sese Seko and the 2nd war, which ethnic tensions from the first war had further propagated.

The 1st Congo war was initiated by the genocide in their neighboring country, Rwanda. Rwanda primarily consisted of two ethnic communities, the Hutus and the Tutsis; hence, the rise of ethnic tensions between the two communities led to ‘ethnic cleansing of the Tutsis by the Hutus; thereupon, leading to the death of approximately 800,000 Tutsis. Eventually, civil war within Rwanda piloted the rise of the Rwanda patriotic front led by Paul Kagame; thus, making approximately more than 2 million of the Hutus who championed the genocide flee to Congo, specifically to the Kivu region (Venugopalan, 2016). Regrettably, by the support of Mobutu, Kivu politicians, and the Zairean army, the militiamen who had poised as refugees to Congo also started attacking the Congolese Tutsis; thereon, escalating tensions within Congo. According to Venugopalan (2016), tensions further propagated with the formation of tactical alliances within the region whereby the native Hutus in Congo joined forces with militia groups like the ex-FAR and the Interahamwe, while the Congo native Tutsis joined forces with the RPA.

The 2nd Congo war, unlike the first war, was escalated by not only ethnic tensions but also foreign powers like Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi. Instability within Congo provided suitable grounds for the militia to set camps and thrive. Thus, with the increased number of militias, the neighboring countries-Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda- constantly faced threats that made them intervene with Congo’s affairs. Uganda’s border was constantly attacked by a group known as the ADF, while Rwanda and Burundi were attacked by FAR and CNDD-FDD, respectively (Venugopalan, 2016). By Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi acting as sponsors to the then Congo president- Kabila, he was deemed as a puppet by most of the individuals; hence, to showcase sovereignty, he ordered all the foreign troops to leave the DRC, a decision that in return led to incitation and the beginning of the anti-Kabila revolt.

The continuous civil wars brought about by the population’s diversity and differences significantly ushered misery in employment, education, and health. In employment, the Congo civil war led to the dismantling and transfer of the Kilibia sugarcane factory to jinja in Uganda, thereby making the majority of the citizens unemployed. Moreover, in education, there are many unenrolled school-going children who are affected by the lack of government sponsorships and learning infrastructure. Finally, in human rights abuses, the militia as well as the Congolese forces burned houses, killed and also, raped innocent individuals residing in the affected regions. Furthermore, the Rwandan army took prisoners of war and children who were subjected to illegal mining of resources (Iyenda, n. d).

Transitional/Migration Issues

Refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants are often victims of discrimination and oppression in their host countries. In the United States, Congolese refugees are nonetheless subjected to such harsh conditions of racism, discrimination, and xenophobia; hence, this can be noted by the imposition of stringent policies by the Trump administration, which advocated for the reduction of Congolese refugees to Ukrainian. As of 2020, the admission of Ukrainian refugees in the U.S. had tripled that of the Congolese by 160 to 55 (CWS, 2020). Moreover, by creating barriers to entry and encouraging detention, the United States government has significantly discouraged the influx of refugees in their country (Racism and Human Rights, n. d). The U.S. has facilitated barriers to entry by restricting Visa acquisition, thereby making it challenging for the refugees to travel legally to their state. Consequently, those who manage to evade border control officers are often harassed and placed in mandatory detention that can last for months, if not years.

Amelioration of racial discrimination, xenophobia, and ethnic intolerance can be achieved by enabling free access to basic services and promoting the utilitarian theory of justice. According to USAID (2021), enabling free access to basic services is an essential strategy for realizing human rights. Basic services such as food, shelter, and healthcare are crucial for survival, especially among vulnerable communities. Thus, by countering discrimination and making them easily accessible to everyone regardless of gender or ethnicity, human rights would have been achieved and instilled. On the other hand, the utilitarian theory of justice can end discrimination and oppression among Congolese refugees by advocating for actions that promote good (Tardi, 2021). Through its application, both citizens and politicians in the U.S. will be emboldened to engage in actions that foster happiness and resuscitate from those causing harm and unhappiness towards those seeking safety and shelter.

Population Strengths

Despite the horrors of war and its effects, Congolese citizens still are hopeful and even more resilient towards attaining a sustainable future. Some of their strengths depicting resilience include; problem-solving skills, a survivor mentality, and a sense of optimism. Optimism and a survivor mentality can be noted from the determination of most Congolese citizens to diversify their income streams and create other financial options that would enable them to meet current hazards and even survive the forthcoming unprecedented ones (World Vision, n. d). Hence, one way the Congolese aim to attain such a future is by their continuous enrollment in world vision programs that promote agricultural training and support. Consequently, according to World Vision (n. d), such training programs have aided approximately 6,231 farmers who have significantly been taught crop marketing strategies and approximately 5,326 farmers who have been efficiently schooled on vital ways to produce and boost crop production. Such pieces of training are thus evidence of their determination to learn and acquire practical and proven problem-solving skills.

A two-way engagement can be noted from a consortium known as ELIKIA, which operates in various Congolese cities like Kolwezi, Kinshasa, and Lubumbashi. ELIKIA is a USAID- funded project whose main goal is to support and provide protection to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS (Phelps, 2019). According to Phelps (2019), the consortium’s efforts can be observed from their awareness campaigns, which tend to minimize the transmission rates of HIV from mother-to-child. One way of ensuring successful outcomes from given campaigns was using Angel, a community representative who was also a migrant and a beneficiary of the program.

 

 

Application of Cultural Humility and Intersectionality

Cultural Humility

Cultural humility involves respecting and considering in equal measure other people’s way of life to expand our thinking and eliminate any potential biases.

Cultural humility is guided by factors such as institutional accountability and self-reflection. Institutional accountability reflects a relationship that a given organization has with its culturally diverse employees/customers, while self—reflection denotes one’s responsibility to lay out his biases and consider the possibility of different beliefs and perceptions (Miyagawa, 2020). Therefore, as a result of institutional accountability and one’s self-reflection, Congolese migrants in the United States could have an easier transition towards accessing appropriate healthcare services. This is because, through institutional accountability, various hospitals would have mediators/translators to communicate effectively with the non-English speaking Congolese natives, while through the self-reflection, the healthcare providers could individualize the care administered instead of basing it on stereotypes.

Cultural Intersectionality

Cultural intersectionality involves categorizing and scrutinizing identity markers like gender, race, age, or class to eliminate any potential factors that can make someone feel discriminated against or oppressed (Taylor, 2019).

The application of cultural intersectionality could have promoted human rights and justice for the Congolese moving into the U.S. as refugees. Through an intersectoral lens, the U.S. government could identify the different unique ways that people view discrimination and injustice; hence, through them, they could champion better policies that could facilitate the Congolese entry through their borders.

  1. Implementing Clinical Practice

Understanding the Impact of Trauma

Clinical knowledge on oppression, discrimination, and trauma advocates for the incorporation of a trauma-informed approach when dealing with patients subjected to such harsh traumatic experiences. When working with Congolese citizens, engagement, assessment, and interventions will be achieved through a trauma-informed approach that adequately considers patient safety and engagement (Menschner & Maul, 2016). Promoting patient safety will be important in reducing anxiety levels and increasing trust with the patients. On the other hand, patient engagement will facilitate empowerment and treatment planning by enabling patients to influence culturally sensitive services.

An appropriate way of engaging Congolese citizens constantly exposed to traumatic events is through training the hospital personnel. Hospital personnel consists of clinical and non-clinical staff; hence, by adequately communicating to them the effects of war, torture, and inequalities that the Congo people were subjected to, they will be able to create a more sensitive, trustful, and non-threatening environment (Menschner & Maul, 2016). Also, to ensure the effectiveness of the clinical personnel, their constant pieces of training should involve mind relaxing activities like Yoga, which will help in stress reduction.

Assessment of traumatic Congolese natives can be done through screening. According to Menschner and Maul (2016), screening is crucial for attaining the patient’s past trauma history. Consequently, by obtaining the history, the practitioner will be well informed on how to tailor interventions and better engage with the patient.

An appropriate intervention method is the TF-CBT (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). TF-CBT is not only well designed to address perceptions resulting from abuse or trauma, but also it is outlined to provide a supportive environment where children and adults are encouraged to talk freely regarding their experiences. Thereupon, through such an environment, patients will feel safer and more willing to open up on issues that previously affected them.

Services Provided by the Host Resettlement Country

Ivermectin is an example of a clinical intervention that may be used within the United States. Upon the arrival of the Congolese refugees to the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control recommends them to go for a mandatory post-arrival medical screening. The screening, which is supposed to be done within 30 days, aims to identify conditions such as Strongyloidiasis that may not have been realized during their overseas medical exams. Thus, to treat strongyloidiasis, the infected person is administered a single dose of ivermectin for two days (CDC, 2021).

The clinical intervention to administer ivermectin to Congolese refugees with strongyloidiasis supports the philosophy and principles of social justice and environmental justice. Social justice advocates for fairness and equal access to opportunities promoted by enabling the refugees to access the drug in an unbiased manner. Environmental justice advocates banishment of unfair medical experimentation to people of color, and as a result, experimentation of ivermectin to the refugees has not been noted. On the contrary, the clinical intervention has not supported the economic justice philosophy of equal income opportunity as it does not showcase how refugees benefit economically from the drug.

Proposed Short Term Interventions

The Church World Services (CWS) is an example of a program funded by the government to facilitate the settlement of refugees in Lancaster. Upon the arrival of refugees, the CWS facilitates a 90-day program that provides them with a platform to learn English classes, get a social security card, and familiarize themselves with the state’s regulations, including the public transportation system (Ritter, 2018). Moreover, through the CWS, refugees can get job opportunities in the manufacturing and food processing industries, thereby increasing their independence and survival in their new environment. According to Ritter (2018), Ebeula is an example of a Congolese refugee who benefited through the laid-out CWS program by obtaining a new home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Proposed Long-Term Interventions

Long-term interventions that would facilitate the resettlement of refugees in the United States include programs such as; the Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) and the Refugee Medical Screening (RMS). RMA and RMS are administered by the USCRI (U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants) to promote refugees with healthcare accessibility and physical and emotional wellness. Primarily, RMA provides refugees with healthcare coverage for up to 8 months, while the RMS follows up on immigrants presenting with medical issues thereon, facilitating their smooth resettlement process (USCRI, n. d). Through their given functions, refugees’ human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice are reflected, therefore, depicting the importance of refugee health in the U.S.

As defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), recovery is the process through which one constantly seeks self-improvement. Moreover, it is a gradual progression that takes time; thus, to effectively attain health and wellness, he/she must be resilient throughout the process. Principles of recovery as outlined by SAMHSA include; hope, drive, distinctiveness, holistic, support, empowerment, culturally-based, addressing past trauma, family and community responsibility, and respect (SAMHSA, n. d). Hope depicts that recovery is a process that must be embraced and desired. Drive dictates recovery to be person-driven and influenced by individual actions and decisions. Distinctiveness projects recovery as a unique process that is different from each individual. Holsticism tends to focus on recovery as an aspect promoting general wellness. Support addresses the integration of family and friends through the recovery process. Empowerment projects the notion of having supportive and understandable friends. Culture ties the recovery process with a person’s traditions and beliefs. Addressing past traumas covers the importance of adopting coping skills. Responsibility explores the liability of friends and family to provide a sound environment. Finally, respect applauds the courage that took the individual to motivate and change his/her actions.

Self-Awareness and Self-Regulation

Although a majority of the refugees tend to be victims, I will be slightly reluctant to help any individual from the DRC posing as a refugee. Evidently, this is because of the incident that happened during the Hutu and Tutsi war in Rwanda, whereby most of the militiamen poised as refugees while entering Congo and then led to the same ethnic tensions in the Kivu region. As for political influences, instability in the DRC is primarily caused by greedy and corrupt leaders. As a result, such leaders like Mobutu Sseko are constantly championed by citizens who primarily think on tribal grounds, making it challenging to appease the country’s large cultural diversity.

Conclusion

In summary, this research paper has evaluated the country’s human rights and social justice as well as clinical practice. Sub-sects of human rights and social justice were; issues of Congo, its migration experiences/issues, its population strengths, and the application of cultural humility and intersectionality. On the other hand, sections under the clinical practice included; the impact of trauma, resettlement country services, proposed short-term and long-term interventions, and self-awareness/ self-regulation.

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