Playwright/activist Eve Ensler and Dr. Denis Mukwege, founder and director of of a hospital in Congo that’s helping victims of rape and mutilation, are embarking on a tour to raise awareness of what’s happening to women and girls in Congo. They recently talked with NPR’s Scott Simon about the situation. The context:

Rape — as much as guns or knives — has become a savage weapon in the civil wars of Congo. Hundreds of thousands of women reportedly have been systematically sexually attacked during the conflict.

Congolese rebel leader Laurent Nkunda was arrested in Rwanda on Friday (Jan 23). Groups such as Human Rights Watch have said that soldiers under his command have been responsible for some of the widespread violence against women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Ensler interviews Mukwege at the Y on Feb 11 about how to stop the ongoing violence against women, and discusses what life is like for women in the Congo.