She says when men or boys are raped it is usually by another man in attempt to humiliate the victim. But sometimes, she says, women can rape men as an act of revenge. Female members of the many armed groups still battling in the countryside are often rape victims themselves. Masika helped one victim who was raped by female soldiers who drugged him before they attacked.

U.N. officials have called the Congo the global epicenter of rape as a tool of war. Earlier this year, the American Journal of Public Health released a landmark study showing close to 2 million women in Congo have been raped in their lifetime. It is one of the most complete looks to date at the prevalence of sexual violence in this country. Yet the impact on men and the numbers of male victims are still in the shadows due to the unique stigma.

Emmanuel Atibasay is a psychologist that helps victims prepare for court. His organization has seen boys as young as two years old sexually abused. But he says it is the men whom are harder to help.

Atibasay says male victims in this deeply conservative society lose their identity as men. He says Congolese culture rejects homosexuality, further humiliating the male victims by bringing their sexual preference into question.

Atibasay notes that although attacks are on men are rare, they remain a part of the war that has plagued the Congolese countryside for decades.

Activists say the only way to end the attacks, is to end the conflict. Army officers say while the war officially ended years ago, the fighting never really stopped. Homegrown militias loosely integrated into the army fight rebel forces originating from neighboring Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. Other battles are internal, among warring Congolese communities.