Slavery: A father stares at the hand and foot of his 5-year-old daughter (Pic)

[Moderator]

A father stares at the hand and foot of his five-year-old daughter, severed as a punishment for having harvested too little rubber, Congo under King Leopold II, 1904.

It’s one of the millions tragic incidents from the hidden holocaust in Congo, better known as the “Congo Horrors” caused by King Leopold II of Belgium.

The magnitude of the population fall over the period is disputed, but it is thought to be as high as 15 million people.

BACK STORY

In 1904, the Congo Free State, a large area in Central Africa that was privately owned by King Leopold II of Belgium, was undergoing significant international scrutiny for its brutal treatment of the native Congolese population. The exploitation of the region’s resources, particularly rubber, led to widespread abuses and atrocities committed by the state’s agents, the Force Publique.

King Leopold II had established the Congo Free State in 1885, taking advantage of the European scramble for Africa. Initially presented as an effort to bring civilization and development to the region, the reality was far different. Under Leopold’s rule, Congolese men, women, and children were subjected to forced labor to extract valuable resources, especially rubber. The Force Publique, a military force, enforced rubber quotas through extreme violence, including the cutting off of limbs as a matter of policy.

The abuses in the Congo Free State came to light through various reports and investigations, notably the Casement Report of 1904, which detailed the horrific conditions and human rights abuses in the region. The report was instrumental in bringing international attention to the situation in the Congo and eventually led to the annexation of the Congo Free State by the Belgian state in 1908.

In summary, by 1904, the Congo Free State under King Leopold II was a site of brutal exploitation and human rights abuses, with the international community beginning to take notice and respond to the situation.

[Omiyale Abiodun John]

Hmm

thank you for the update

this is interesting

[demola14]

There is nothing interesting in this nonsense how earth would a father done this to his daughter

[Omiyale Abiodun John]

I mean it interesting In the sense that we are being enlightened on this so we don’t get to do same thing in this generation that we are

i hope you grab

[Chioma]

This is ancient story and its interesting though

[demola14]

This is some weird stuff, some nonsense happened in the past and honestly can be referred to as evil

[okohmichael28]

Struggles everywhere.

It’s only God that will help us

[Okonkwo Naomi Chinonso]

Human rights abuses. Thank Gid for the International intervention. We are no longer in the stone age

[Sharonï]

This kind of punishment is so not it