Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 7, No. 2, 2008, Page 30
Girls in the LRA
Girls face unique problems in the LRA. Unlike boys, girls in the LRA are assigned to
commanders as ‗wives‘ (i.e., sex slaves), despite the fact that Kony initially prohibited all
sex in his movement (Behrend 1999a, 194). Kony gives out wives as chattel without
marriage ceremonies (Amnesty International 1997, 18). Young girls often become wife
assistants or train as LRA nurses until the LRA believes that they are old enough for
marriage (HRW 1997, 26). After they become wives, girls remain at the LRA‘s permanent
bases for longer durations than do boys, which hinder their escape opportunities.
The sexual abuse that girls face at the hands of their commanders has dire consequences
for their lives. Most dramatically, girls‘ sexual victimization heightens their fears that their
families and communities might never reaccept them if they escape, especially if they have
had children in the group or have contracted STDs (90 percent of escapee girls contracted
one or more STDS, usually HIV/AIDS [Cheney 2003, 43 n. 2 Doom and Vlassenroot 1998,
25-26 HRW 1997, 29). Lowering girls‘ self-esteem and sense of communal belonging is a
way the LRA creates exit costs that apply only to females. As a result, girls are less likely to
attempt escape than boys, and they have fewer opportunities to do so.
The LRA abducts girls based on alleged spiritual guidance from Kony‘s jogi, along with
assessments of each girl‘s beauty, intelligence, and age. (Wives are usually in their teens or
early twenties, although some are younger [Allen 2006, 63 Amnesty International 1997,
12].) LRA commanders beat rebels who bring shame to the others by capturing wives whom
the leaders do not consider beautiful or intelligent enough (Amnesty International 1997,
12). Moreover, when Sister Rachel, who is a nun teaching at the Aboke School in northern
Uganda, came to the rebels to plead for the return of the girls who the LRA abducted from
that school, the rebels allowed her to take 109 of the 139 girls whom they had kidnapped. A
commander explained to Sister Rachel that Kony‘s jogi requested that they retain 30
beautiful girls (Amnesty International 1997, 12). Despite the return of the girls in the Aboke
incident, the LRA often kills abducted girls whom it does not consider pretty.
Girls whom the LRA considers worthy of abduction and who survive their trek to camp
undergo a second ritual initiation to prepare them to serve as wives. During this ritual, the
LRA forces girls to remove their shirts, bathe, and then stand in one of 32 squares on a
heart-shaped grid drawn on the ground (de Temmerman 2001, 52 HRW 1997, 32). Then a
commander dips an egg in powder and water and smears it on the girls‘ chests and backs in
the shape of a heart as well as on their forehead and lips in the shape of a cross (HRW
1997, 32). If the egg breaks during this ritual, then the commander believes that evil jogi
possess the girl and he kills her (de Temmerman 2001, 52). Commanders tell girls that this
initiation ritual is from the Bible and will protect them. Afterward, the LRA forces the girls to
remain bare-chested for three days (HRW 1997, 32).
Following their initiation into the LRA, Kony issues abducted girls to his commanders as
wives. Commanders only take the girls whom Kony and senior commanders assigned to
them because of their beliefs: ―They [the LRA commanders] are superstitious that Kony
knows everything they do. Kony doesn‘t want them to ‗contaminate‘ women because Kony
picks the women and then shares the rest among others‖ (HRW 2005, 22). The LRA
punishes the rape of girls before they become commanders‘ wives, but after marriage the
girls have no right to refuse sex. Occasionally, senior commanders limit the rights a
commander has over his wives, forcing him to take some responsibility for his wives‘ well-
being (Amnesty International 1997, 18). When, however, senior commanders apply these
limits, they are very liberal. A Commander has the freedom to beat, rape, or kill their wives,
especially any wife who fails to provide the sexual services that he demands (HRW 1997,
28). Most girls initially refuse their commanders and the commanders beat them until they
Girls in the LRA
Girls face unique problems in the LRA. Unlike boys, girls in the LRA are assigned to
commanders as ‗wives‘ (i.e., sex slaves), despite the fact that Kony initially prohibited all
sex in his movement (Behrend 1999a, 194). Kony gives out wives as chattel without
marriage ceremonies (Amnesty International 1997, 18). Young girls often become wife
assistants or train as LRA nurses until the LRA believes that they are old enough for
marriage (HRW 1997, 26). After they become wives, girls remain at the LRA‘s permanent
bases for longer durations than do boys, which hinder their escape opportunities.
The sexual abuse that girls face at the hands of their commanders has dire consequences
for their lives. Most dramatically, girls‘ sexual victimization heightens their fears that their
families and communities might never reaccept them if they escape, especially if they have
had children in the group or have contracted STDs (90 percent of escapee girls contracted
one or more STDS, usually HIV/AIDS [Cheney 2003, 43 n. 2 Doom and Vlassenroot 1998,
25-26 HRW 1997, 29). Lowering girls‘ self-esteem and sense of communal belonging is a
way the LRA creates exit costs that apply only to females. As a result, girls are less likely to
attempt escape than boys, and they have fewer opportunities to do so.
The LRA abducts girls based on alleged spiritual guidance from Kony‘s jogi, along with
assessments of each girl‘s beauty, intelligence, and age. (Wives are usually in their teens or
early twenties, although some are younger [Allen 2006, 63 Amnesty International 1997,
12].) LRA commanders beat rebels who bring shame to the others by capturing wives whom
the leaders do not consider beautiful or intelligent enough (Amnesty International 1997,
12). Moreover, when Sister Rachel, who is a nun teaching at the Aboke School in northern
Uganda, came to the rebels to plead for the return of the girls who the LRA abducted from
that school, the rebels allowed her to take 109 of the 139 girls whom they had kidnapped. A
commander explained to Sister Rachel that Kony‘s jogi requested that they retain 30
beautiful girls (Amnesty International 1997, 12). Despite the return of the girls in the Aboke
incident, the LRA often kills abducted girls whom it does not consider pretty.
Girls whom the LRA considers worthy of abduction and who survive their trek to camp
undergo a second ritual initiation to prepare them to serve as wives. During this ritual, the
LRA forces girls to remove their shirts, bathe, and then stand in one of 32 squares on a
heart-shaped grid drawn on the ground (de Temmerman 2001, 52 HRW 1997, 32). Then a
commander dips an egg in powder and water and smears it on the girls‘ chests and backs in
the shape of a heart as well as on their forehead and lips in the shape of a cross (HRW
1997, 32). If the egg breaks during this ritual, then the commander believes that evil jogi
possess the girl and he kills her (de Temmerman 2001, 52). Commanders tell girls that this
initiation ritual is from the Bible and will protect them. Afterward, the LRA forces the girls to
remain bare-chested for three days (HRW 1997, 32).
Following their initiation into the LRA, Kony issues abducted girls to his commanders as
wives. Commanders only take the girls whom Kony and senior commanders assigned to
them because of their beliefs: ―They [the LRA commanders] are superstitious that Kony
knows everything they do. Kony doesn‘t want them to ‗contaminate‘ women because Kony
picks the women and then shares the rest among others‖ (HRW 2005, 22). The LRA
punishes the rape of girls before they become commanders‘ wives, but after marriage the
girls have no right to refuse sex. Occasionally, senior commanders limit the rights a
commander has over his wives, forcing him to take some responsibility for his wives‘ well-
being (Amnesty International 1997, 18). When, however, senior commanders apply these
limits, they are very liberal. A Commander has the freedom to beat, rape, or kill their wives,
especially any wife who fails to provide the sexual services that he demands (HRW 1997,
28). Most girls initially refuse their commanders and the commanders beat them until they
