Homepage
Welcome to the website of the Congolese Women’s Campaign Against Sexual Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The Congolese Women’s Campaign Against Sexual Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is an initiative launched by women’s associations in Eastern DRC to bolster the fight against sexual violence.
Bernadette Ntumba, from the Territorial Commission (Uvira territory) has visited Rights & Democracy office in Montreal for a lunchtime conference. Here is an excerpt, where we see Bernadette using the Women with 1000 hands metaphor to talk about the situation of women in Congo. (8 minutes - video in French).
Download the video | View the video on the Coalition's website
- See the latest news from November
- ALERT! New petition launched by the Campaign - SIGN THE PETITION HERE.
A CALL FOR THE WAR IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO TO STOP BEING WAGED ON THE BODIES OF WOMEN AND GIRLS
The Congolese Women’s Campaign Against Sexual Violence in the DRC[1] raises an enraged cry of alarm to the international community to denounce the atrocities being committed in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by rebel groups and elements of the DRC armed forces.
Massive displacements, arbitrary assassinations, pillage, torture, kidnapping and a still undetermined number of rapes, but a certainty that WAR, ONCE AGAIN, IS BEING WAGED ON THE BODIES OF WOMEN AND GIRLS.
The conflict now raging weighs heavily on the civilian population. The UN estimates that 250,000 people have been displaced by conflict since the end of August. The conflict, like the massive displacement of civilians, greatly increases the risks of sexual violence committed against women and girls. In fact, they are the first victims of armed conflict. Recently, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights confirmed the denunciations of NGOs concerning the existence of rapes in Goma last week.
As activists and workers working with the victims, we have for many years repeatedly denounced the systematic use of sexual violence by all of the armed groups present in the DRC, including the regular forces of the Congolese army.
Resolution 1820 of the Security Council of the United Nations on June 19, 2008, stressed that, used or ordered as an arm of war, sexual violence can considerably exacerbate any armed conflict and is an impediment to re-establishing international peace and security. It states, among other things, that rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide.
Therefore, we, the women in the Congolese Women’s Campaign Against Sexual Violence, our bodies battered, demand:
1) That all parties to the armed conflict immediately and entirely commit themselves to putting an end to all acts of sexual violence against women and girls.
2) That all parties to the armed conflict immediately take the measures necessary to protect civilians, especially women and girls, against all forms of sexual violence and that all those responsible be brought to justice or sanctioned by military tribunals.
3) That the Congolese State guarantee the security of all its citizens, in particular women and girls, as well as activists and defenders of human rights, in times of war as in times of peace.
4) That the Secretary General of the United Nations establish directives and strategies that will enable MONUC, in the respect of its mandate, to better protect civilians, especially women and girls, displaced people, refugees or those trapped in combat zones, against all forms of sexual violence.
5) That the Security Council establish an international commission to investigate crimes of sexual violence committed in the Eastern DRC since the beginning of the conflict in order to put an end to the impunity that contributes to the perpetuation of sexual violence.
6) That the international community demand that the parties find a lasting and definitive solution to the conflict and that the rebel groups are disarmed.
7) That the bodies of the United Nations, the Congolese government, and donor countries, including Canada, restructure the joint initiative against sexual violence in the DRC so as to integrate the experience of local NGOs in the development and implementation of programs to curb the scourge of sexual violence.
8) That the Congolese government, the United Nations, in particular the MONUC, the International Criminal Court and the international community implement the recommendations made by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Yakin Ertuk, in her mission report (A/HRC/7/6/Add.4) of February 28, 2008 to the United Nations’ Human Rights Council.
9) In this regard, we particularly demand that the International Criminal Court implement the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur to 1) investigate war crimes or crimes against humanity—including sexual violence—committed after July 1, 2002, in the cases in which the Congolese authorities have been unwilling or incapable of investigating or prosecuting, and 2) to take appropriate measures to protect victims and witnesses and their intermediaries who collaborate with the Court.
So that bodies of women cease being a battlefield, so that sexual violence ceases to be an arm of war, so that Congolese, both women and men, may take back their dignity and finally have the hope of living in peace, the Congolese Women’s Campaign Against Sexual Violence invites you to join it by SIGNING THE PETITION HERE.
The petition was signed by the following Congolese organizations:
|
|
With the support of the Coalition for Women’s Human Rights in Conflict Situation
www.womensrightscoalition.org and Rights & Democracy www.dd-rd.ca
[1] The Congolese Women’s Campaign Against Sexual Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is an initiative launched by women’s associations in Eastern DRC to bolster the fight against sexual violence. The campaign is supported by the Coalition for Women’s Human Rights in Conflict Situations and Rights & Democracy. Web site: www.drcsexualviolence.org.
THE LATEST NEWS FROM NOVEMBER
- Canada: House of Commune (Parliamant) - MP Paul Deward called to end sexual violence ( November 28)
- HRW report on political oppression demonstrates the use of violence, including sexual violence, against political opponents (November 25th)
- CANADA: MP Keith Martin calls for urgent action to end the crisis in the Congo (November 25th)
- North-Kivu: Rape crisis set to worsen amid Kivu chaos: more than 5000 rapes during the first 6 months of 2008 (November 19th)
- AWID Forum: Congolese Women's Declaration (November 17th)
- Global Petition to Stop War-Rapes in Goma and North Kivu in support of the Congolese Women's Campaign against sexual violence in the DRC' s petition (November 13)
- CANADIAN PARLIAMENT: The Coalition for Women's Rights in Conflict Situation called the Canadian Governement and the International Community to protect women and girls against sexual violence (November 7)
- Rights and Democracy supports the call of the Congolese Women's Campaign against sexual violence in the DRC (November 6)
Canada: House of Commune (Parliament) - Paul Dewar, MP (NDP) made called to end sexual violence in conflict
Mr. Speaker,
500,000 women were raped during the Rwandan genocide
64,000 in Sierra Leone
40,000 in Bosnia
4500 in less than six months in a single province of the Congo
Hundreds a day in Darfur
Around the world, violence against women has become a meditated act of war.
The weapons used in modern warfare are no longer limited to landmines, cluster bombs and AK47s... Rape is now a primary weapon of war.
These military tactics are used to shame and demoralize women. And control populations.
Major General Patrick Cammaret says: “it’s now more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in modern conflict”.
Mr. Speaker this must end.
Canada CAN do something by uniting in defiance to end this crime against humanity, by implement UN resolutions 1325 and 1820.
Together we will stop rape now.
Back
CANADA: MP Keith Martin calls for urgent action to end the crisis in the Congo
Press release, November 25th 2008
Ottawa - Today marks the International Day for the elimination of violence against women. Although we are approaching the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and recently the United Nations supported the Responsibility to Protect, the persistent, and pernicious evil use of sexual violence against women and sometimes men is as pervasive as ever.
The worst example of this is the widespread use of rape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rape is being used not only to destroy the person, but to tear apart the fabric of societies and spread the deadly HIV virus. The consequences include the destruction of people's lives, the ostracism of the victims from their own communities and society, the increased spread of HIV that can't be treated in this conflict environment, the collapse of primary health care capacity, and the surge in the number of orphans.
In the DRC, women and sometimes men are raped with bayonets, and pieces of wood, leaving their gastrointestinal and reproductive systems damaged forever. In fact, rape is now being used as a weapon of mass destruction. In the Eastern part of the DRC lies the epicenter of rape, where up to 70% of women in some villages have been the victims of sexual violence.
So far the international community has demonstrated only a tacit interest in this, the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the Second World War. As we mark the International Day for the Elimination of violence against women, the international community must back up its words and intentions with real action to end the Congo's agony.
Unless these actions are taken now, rape will continue to be a weapon of mass destruction, and women and men will suffer horrific injuries and sometimes death through the use of this most violent of crimes. If we truly believe that we have a responsibility to protect, if we truly believe in saying never again to massive human rights abuses, then we must back up these words with an obligation to act and implement the solutions needed to stop the carnage.
North-Kivu: Rape crisis set to worsen amid Kivu chaos
NAIROBI, 19 November 2008 (IRIN) - Soaring insecurity in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has raised fears of a new wave of sexual violence in a region termed “the worst place in the world to be a woman” by aid workers.
During the first six months of 2008, there were more than 5,000 reported rape cases in the flashpoint province of North Kivu, according to data collected by doctors at health centres. The true figure is likely to be far higher, as women are too traumatised or afraid of stigma to seek help.
One hospital specialising in sexual violence in Goma, capital of North Kivu, admits on average four women a day - making more than 18,000 since it opened in 2003.
In neighbouring South Kivu, the UN reported 27,000 sexual assaults in 2006. It is impossible to say how many cases there have been across the country but based on anecdotal evidence, doctors say numbers are rising.
With the recent surge in fighting between the government army and rebels led by renegade general Laurent Nkunda, many more women - and some men - will likely have fallen victim to Congo's notorious reputation for the use of rape as a weapon of war.
“Common pattern”
"They came after it was dark when we were hiding in the house; they forced open windows and shone torches inside," one 45-year-old woman told IRIN in Rutshuru, 90km north of Goma, as she lay recovering from being raped by a man she said was a rebel soldier.
"They told us to open the door or they would break it down and kill everyone inside. What could I do?"
She was forced to the ground by two soldiers. Her husband, 52, was dragged to the floor and the muzzle of a rifle pressed to his head.
"They said they wanted money. I took one of them into the bedroom and gave them US$50, which we had borrowed from a friend so that we could run away from the fighting.
"He took that and then he raped me. He stopped halfway and went outside to tell my husband that he would be shot if he moved."
The woman, who refused to be identified for fear of reprisals, said doctors had told her she would recover. When she spoke to IRIN, two days after her attack on 30 October, she could barely move.
"This is not going to be an isolated case," said Joseph Ciza, who helps to run the HEAL Africa hospital for victims of sexual violence in Goma.
"Whenever there is fighting, there are attacks on women. Those attacks reduce when the armies are actually in battle, but once that stops and they settle into their new positions, the rapes will start. It is a common pattern."
Women have reported a surge of sexual violence in the past fortnight in Kibati, the village 12km north of Goma that lies just south of the frontline but which has been swamped by displaced people fleeing fighting.
"There are two women living in the shelter next to me who were taken as they looked for bananas in the fields," said Angelique Bendanduka, 32, in Kibati. "They are not the only ones. Many women are being attacked here by the government soldiers. The soldiers also steal food we have been given by aid workers."
Education is key
There is almost no safety for such women in the midst of conflict. Judicial systems are weak even in peace-time. Police officers can be bribed by those accused of carrying out rapes, and women fear being stigmatised.
"This has to one of the worst places in the world to be a woman," said Martin Hartberg, protection adviser in Goma for Oxfam.
"We have heard reports from every single woman in some villages that they have suffered some kind of sexual abuse in the last five years. It is as if rape has become ingrained into the culture of these armed groups, and it is very difficult to turn that tide without overall security reform in this country."
A new constitution adopted in 2006 clarified definitions of rape and sexual attacks, and introduced a 20-year minimum sentence for those found guilty.
But few women have the money to prosecute, and the judicial system is too riddled with corruption to effectively stamp out the culture of impunity. "Getting rid of the men roaming the countryside with guns is the only way to stop it," Hartberg said.
Ciza is more optimistic, however. "It is simple what has to be done - everyone must be taught that women have value and human rights," he said.
"If that happens, then militia commanders can teach it to their recruits, children will grow up knowing that rape is bad, things can change.
"But it will take a long time. We have already come so far in the wrong direction."
mp/mw
IRIN News, http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81549
HRW report on political oppression demonstrate the use of violence, incding sexual violence, against political opponents.
This 96-page report documents the Kabila government's use of violence and intimidation to eliminate political opponents. Human Rights Watch found that Kabila himself set the tone and direction by giving orders to "crush" or "neutralize" the "enemies of democracy," implying it was acceptable to use unlawful force against them.
HRW, «‘We Will Crush You’: The Restriction of Political Space in the Democratic Republic of Congo. », http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2008/11/25/we-will-crush-you-0
CONGOLESE WOMEN’S DECLARATION AT AWID FORUM AWID
Cape Town, November 17th.
1. As representatives of women’s organizations from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), gathered in he margin of the 11th International AWID Forum on “women’s rights and development” held in Cap Town, from 14th to 17th November 2008;
2. Caused by repeated wars, in particular the recent one led by Laurent Nkunda and its National Congress for People’s Defense (CNDP) against public institutions in place established after long political negotiations (199-2003), the new constitution and 2006 elections;
3. We denounce the support to CNDP from external forces through neighboring countries which countries signed peace agreement in the Great Lakes region ;
4. We denounce CNDP attacks targeting civilians who are not actively involved in hostilities, particularly women and children. We also denounce human rights abuses perpetrated by all armed groups including DRC army (FARDC), in violation of the Goma peace agreement signed in January 2008.
5. We request a declaration of solidarity from more than two thousands women meeting in this 11th AWID Forum; in order to end the war in the DRC. We are convinced that if women across the world show their solidarity to Congolese women against the war; ourselves and our families will be relieved;
6. We ask all nations across the globe to take note of the holocaust of the millennium which is happening right now in the DRC, in total indifference without any actions of world leaders. Six million of deaths, two millions internal displaced, thousands of raped women and girls;
7. We are calling upon the United Nations and African Union to immediately act to protect civilian, due to the DRC government’s failure to do so.
1. Aimee Mwadi Kady, (SWAA-RDC)
2. Anne Marie Ramazani, SOS FEC ;
3. Annie Bukaraba, Caucus des femmes du Sud Kivu
4. Annie Matundu, Women International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF-RDC)
5. Audry Shematsi, Action Aid, Nord Kivu
6. Aurelie Bitondo, Reseau des femmes africaines ministres et parlementaires/ Caucus du Sud Kivu
7. Francoise Mukuku, Si Jeunesse Savait ;
8. Gege Katana, Solidarité des Femmes pour (SOFAD)
9. Gertrude Biaya Ndaya, Centre Feminin de Formation et d’Information pour le Developpement (CEFIDE);
10. Isidore Kashiba, Fontaine d’Espoir pour Filles et Femmes (FEFF) ;
11. Jacqueline Mapatano, Reseau des Femmes pour un Developpement Associatif (RFDA) ;
12. Jacqueline Musugani Nyangoma, Initiatives des Femmes en situation difficiles pour le developpement integre, (IFESIDI) ;
13. Josephine Ngalula, Reseau Action Femme, (RAF) ;
14. Julienne Lusenge, (SOFEPADI)
15. Kapinga Ntumba, Ligues des Femmes pour la Justice ;
16. Lutha Bisumbula, Reseau d’Organisations des Droits humains et d’Education Civique d’Inspiration Chretienne (RODHECIC);
17. Marie Kusa, Fondation Orphelinat au Congo ;
18. Mathurine Luzolo Luyoka, Mutualité des volontaires africaines pour le developpement ;
19. Monique Kaseya, Initiatives pour le developpement de l’entreprenariat féminin (IDEF)
20. Nicole Odia Kayembe, Action Contre l’Impunité pour les Droits Humains (ACIDH) ;
21. Pierre Panda, GRAIFA.
Global Petition to Stop War-Rapes in Goma and North Kivu, organized jointly by HEAL Africa and Talk to the Future magazine, that has been gathered almost 200 signatures
Global Call for Action
DEMAND END TO WAR-RAPES IN GOMA DRC!
For Release Nov. 13, 2008:
Goma DRC --
The 10-year civil war of the Democratic Republic of Congo battle has taken a turn for the worse this week, as fighting between several warring groups rages outside the city of Goma, long a safe haven for refugees of the war. The war has killed approximately 5.4 million people since 1998, and tens of thousands of women and many children have been systematically raped by warring groups. Today, as the war closes in on Goma, fresh atrocities are occurring, including rapes of women and vulnerable children by drunk soldiers. We must act to better protect residents from further violence and denounce sexual violence used as a 'weapon' of war.
We, the undersigned, urgently urge Congolese, UN and other key parties in and outside the DRC to act urgently to PROTECT, PREVENT and RESPOND to violence and brutal rapes of women and children in the embattled area surrounding the city of Goma, and to protect civilians of North Kivu, where there one million internally displaced people (IDP). With tens of thousands of refugees flooding into the area surrounding Goma, the situation there is a tinderbox, and hunger is driving the violence. The increased pitting of people against each other along ethnic lines represents a very dangerous reality. Since August, when the fighting began to escalate, mass rapes have increased – 40 a day by some estimates. We must stop the violence happening today– and tomorrow-- through our global action and voices.
Reports from Heal Africa in Goma, one of the few humanitarian NGOs still operating in Goma which helps rape survivors, stress the urgent need for UN troops to intervene to protect civilians from violence – and this includes sexual violence. Protection is also needed to help guard humanitarian and local hospitals who operate as impartial, independent professionals helping the displaced and wounded, including survivors of sexual violence. With hunger and looting on the rise, they are being targeted.
Recently a broad coalition of Congolese women and survivors groups in eastern Congo publicly denounced rapes in the Congo and issued a global call for solidarity action, and for their voices to be heard. We have heard their voices and we stand in solidarity with them, demanding world leaders, and belligerents in the DRC conflict act immediately to stop the violence, including rapes in Congo:
These actions include:
- Demonstrate via concrete action and public statements their recent global commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1820 on women, peace and security, that demands the "immediate and complete cessation by all parties to armed conflict of all acts of sexual violence against civilians" and affirming that "rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide."
- Deploy increased UN Peacekeepers (MONUC) to protect civilians from attack – including gang rapes of women by drunk soldiers reported in Goma. MONUC must intervene to stop rapes! Right now, all peacekeeping bodies are making what global leaders and relief workers brand an inadequate response to violence. The MONUC troops must be actively deployed to protect civilians. This action by MONUC andthe international community would directly support SR Resolution 1820 and internnational laws that view these war rapes as'sexual war crimes.'
- Deploy MONUC peacekeepers to protect displaced civilians hoping to return to their homes.
- Provide US and UN representatives, along with Congo MONUC and State Dept African Affairs representatives, with the mandate, authority and resources to take clear actions to help broker a durable peace in North Kivu, and to demand that key warring actors support Sec Res 1820 by stopping war-rapes and atrocities against civilians, and instead, actively protecting civilians from violence and rapes.
- Create a Sexual Violence Rapid Response Unit within MONUC and create small teams at the different IDP centers that include local women to coordinate MONUC's and the humanitarian community's response to rapes, and assist raped survivors to safely access emergency medical and counseling services from HEAL Africa and frontline NGOs equipped to assist.
- Provide immediate increase of World Food Program donations to Goma and North Kivu. The lack of food is causing death, illness and great suffering, and fierce competition for available resources, and threatensthe relationship of communities being forced together in close proximity. Hunger is driving violence.
Local Responses needed:
Implement a coordinated local emergency plan to respond to the current increase of rape that includes:
- o Units protected by MONUC forces who can reach raped women amidst fighting
- o a central mobile telephone number for reporting rapes,
- o linking relief workers at the few intl NGOs active around Goma (MSF Belgium, IMC, Norwegian Church AID, etc.) and at IDP centers in North Kivu to key contacts and staff who have mobile and fixed medical teams to assist rape survivors.
- o Similar steps are needed in South Kivu, where Panzi Hospital coordinates responses and care for survivors of sexual violence in Bukavu. Panzi has also been targeted by violence, and needs further support.
- o Support and equip relief teams to provide armed PROTECTION and FUEL, WATER and FOOD to internees in IDP camps in North Kivu, and to provide protection against sexual violence in the camps by recruiting women and men chosen by camp leaders to receive training in post- rape counseling and medical referral for rape survivors.
- o Recruit and train local men and women from existing NGOs in Goma who have programs and trained counselors to work in the IDP camps, and refer survivors to these local NGOs for supportive services and shelter. Local NGOs are receiving survivors in their homes and villages and need to be directly linked to arriving emergency medical providers and camp managers.
CONTACT: For further information or media requests, contact:
info@healafrica.orgor tel: 360-863-3380 .
Signed, (Name, Affiliation, Country):
SIGNATURES TO GLOBAL PETITION TO STOP WAR-RAPES IN GOMA & DRC:
1. Judy Anderson, Executive Director, HEAL Africa, Goma, DRC
2. Eve Ensler, V-Day, NYC, US & global
3. Dr. Ruku Oyaku Bhileni, Vice-President and Co-founder, Congolose Physicians for Peace (affiliate of IPPNW-Nobel Peace Prize 1985), DRC.
4. Ann Njogu, Executive Director, Center for Rights Education and Awareness ( CREAW) Kenya.
5. Anne-christine d'Adesky, Journalist , Talk to the Future media, US – Africa
6. Laurie Gagne, Director of the Edmundite Center for Peace and Justice, St. Michael's College, Colchester, Vermont , US
7. Sonke Gender Justice, South Africa
8. Amanda Lugg, African Services Committee, NYC, US
9. Fanta Toure, Program Officer, Africa. American Jewish World Service
10. Marion Natukunda, Programmes Manager-Mama's Club Kampala,Uganda
11. Lucy Quacinella, Attorney, Multiforum Advocacy Solutions, San Francisco, CA, US
12. Treatment Action Group (TAG), NY, US
13. Martha Tholanah, Network of Zimbabwean Positive Women (NZPW+
14. Rosemary Hack, AIDSLink, South Africa
15. Lynn Kersey, M.A., M.P.H., Executive Director, Maternal and Child Health Access, Los Angeles, CA, US
16. Sylvie Jacquat, Communication Assistant, World YWCA, Geneva, Switzerland
17. Theo Smart, Journalist, South Africa
18. Krista Dong, MD. Director of iTEACH,. Edendale Hospital. KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
19. Desirée Zwanck, Consultant, EED for HEAL Africa, Goma
20. Paula Akugizibwe, AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa, South Africa
21. Melinda Kerr, Melbourne, Australia
22. Samantha Cole-Surjan, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia,
23. Jane Skarratt, Melbourne, Australia
24. Tom Rielly Community Director, TED Conferences LLC
25. Janet Feldman, ActALIVE and KAIPPG International, RI, USA-Kenya-Global
26. Lindy McLean Emrich, Greenbrae, California
27. Christophe Martet, Journalist, YAGG, France
28. Harper McConnell, US Director of Development, HEAL Africa, Seattle, WA
29. Gennae Falconer, Program Assoc., Greater MPLS Council of Churches, MPLS, MN
30. Helen MacGregor, Moscow State University, Russia,
31. Nicholas Rutter, Moscow State University, Russia
32. Frankie Ey, Venus Advertising, US
33. Mark Brosamer, First Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, CA US
34. Leah Stephenson Canadian Treatment Action Council, Canada
35. Louise Binder, Canadian Treatment Action Council
36. Deborah von Zinkernagel RN, SM,MS, VP for Policy, Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation, US
37. Tiffany Tripson, Texas, USA
38. Bob Thornbloom, Chicago, Congo Tech Assistance
39. Patricia Siplon, Professor, Saint Michael's College, Colchester, VT – USA
40. Vermont Global Health Coalition, Burlington, VT USA
41. Randy Bergen, MD, US
42. ATHENA
43. CUNY School of Law Domestic Violence Coalition, NY, US
44. Inga Blum, Concerned Citizen
45. Rev. Judith Gay Kee, Associate PAstor, International Community ChurchBoston MA 02134]
46. Susan Cushman
47. Joanna Tegnerowicz, Asst. Prof., University of Wroclaw, Poland
48. Cassie Kirby-Schwanke
49. Wendy Werling, PulseWire
50. Atsango Chesoni, Governance and Human Rights consultant, Kenya
51. Vanessa Ludwig, Director - Triangle Project, Mowbray,. South Africa
52. Francoise Mukuku, Si Jeunesse Savait, DR Congo
53. Ayesha Imam, Women's Human Rights Activist, Senegal/Nigeria
54. Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) – International Solidarity Network
55. Christine M. York, Healing Arts Africa, Canada
56. Kim Cole, Vancouver, Canada
57. Les Cole, Vancouver, Canada
58. Justin Cole, Vancouver, Canada
59. Charles York, Nanaimo, Canada
60. Andrea Leone, Vancouver, Canada
61. Timo Acosta, Program Director, Global Strategies for HIV Prevention
62. Flora Acosta, Gateway Resource Specialist, Portland Community College
63. Groupe de recherche Femmes et Lois au Sénégal (GREFELS)
64. Jennifer Valiquette , Regional Assault Care Program. Renfrew Victoria Hospital, Ontario
65. Cathy Nangini, SAFER (Social Aid For the Elimination of Rape), Canada
66. Kristin Albright, Empowering Lives organization, San Dimas, CA
67. Lucy Haurisa, physician, Amnesty International, Germany
68. Laurie Bourne-Mackeigan MSW, RSW, Assault Response & Care Centre,Brockville, Ontario
69. Leah Okeyo, Jacolo Rural Women's Response to HIV/AIDS, Kenya
70. Christine Juma Odongo, Rural Women's Response to HIV/AIDS, Kenya
71. Joyce Adala, Jacolo Rural Women's Response to HIV/AIDS, Kenya
72. Naomi Matsuura, Social Aid For the Elimination of Rape (SAFER), CANADA
73. Bobbi Martin-Haw, Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Program Women's, Health Care Centre, Peterborough, Ontario
74. Sheila Macdonald, Ontario Network of Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence
Treatment Centres, Ontario, Canada
75. Margrethe Heen Ottesen, MedFred, International Physicians Preventing Nuclear War- IPPNW, Norway
76. Ryan Irmer, Teacher and Coach, Fremont, CA, USA
77. International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), Germany
78. Kirsten Stromme, IPPNW, Norway
79. Liz Dartnall, Snr Scientist, Medical Research Council, South Africa, and Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI)
80. Gary Barker, PhD, Executive Director, MenEngage Alliance
81. Katharine Knoetz, Psychologist, refugee mental health issues, Cape Town, South Africa
82. Ratula Beukman, Advocacy Programme Manager, Black Sash, Cape Town, South Africa
83. Mari Jetlund, IPPNW-students, Norway
84. Rachel Jewkes, Medical Research Council, South Africa
85. Håvard Klingsheim Austvoll, Norway
86. Elise Thowsen Tonning, Norway
87. Linda Ann Pryor RN, Ontario, Canada
88. Pim looze, Amsterdam, NL
89. Hannah Jansen, MBH, Amsterdam, NL
90. Dadier M. Abdalah, Displaced Refugee Network, South Africa
91. Willow Brown LAc, California, USA
92. Pauline Ford, Catholic Welfare and Development Organization, Cape Town, South Africa
93. Maurice Mbikayi, artist, affiliated with Scalabrini Centre (SCCT)
94. Pauline Ford, Catholic Welfare and Development Organization, Cape Town, South Africa
95. Honor Genetski, Psychotherapist, Gender Justice, US
96. Theresa Burks, Portland Area Global AIDS Coalition, US
97. Laura Peterson, Hands to Hearts International, USA
98. Kimberly Lewis, HANDZ (Helping Academic Need and Development in Zambia) and Oregon, US
99. Treatment Action Campaign's Women's rights Campaign, South Africa
100. Ntiokam Divine, Student Global AIDS Campaign, Africa
101. Jenna Klein, NY, USA
102. Shailja Patel, US and Kenya
103. Jade Frank - United States
104. Christopher Lowe, Portland, Oregon (Ph.D., African History, Yale University)
105. Elizabeth Kharono, Center for Land Economy and Rights of Women (CLEAR_Uganda), Mbale, Uganda
106. Richard Pearshouse, Director, Research & Policy, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, Canada
107. Aminetou Mint Moctar Réseau WLP des Femmes Leaderships en Mauritanie
108. Salimata Sy Association des Femmes Chefs de Famille (AFCF) de Mauritanie
109. Professor Brook K. Baker, Health GAP, Northeastern U. School of Law Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy, US
110. Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice
111. Allen and Cassie Schwanke, Georgetown, TX
112. Cindi Nunnally, RN, Irving, TX
113. Susan Birmingham, Austin, TX
114. Tylee Rokovich, Austin, TX
115. Lori Mendelsohn, Georgetown, TX
116. Jennifer Russu, Georgetown, TX
117. Kathy Mendelsohn, Georgetown, TX
118. Alyssa Schwanke, student, Georgetown, TX
119. Natalie Alfrey, Real Estate, , Dallas, TX
120. Linda O'Neill, retired teacher, Floresvillex, TX
121. Tiffany O'Neill Huff, teacher, Wimberly, TX
122. Lacinda Kasparek, business owner, supprter of HEAL Africa, Round Rock, T
123. Jo Ann Turner, Garden City, TX
124. Christi Craven, business owner, Austin, TX
125. Connie Sowell, business owner, Georgetown, TX
126. Nancy Carson, RN, Leander, TX
127. Jack and Jennifer Carsner, doctor, Austin, TX
128. Rachael Robicheau, Austin, TX
129. Rebecca Hurt, Manager, Austin, TX
130. Beth Egbert, RN and yoga instructor, Georgetown, TX
131. Kathy Jeter, supporter of HEAL Africa, Georgetown, TX
132. John Tipler, business owner, Austin, TX
133. Texas Wholesale Stone, Austin, TX
134. Custom Frames by Daniel, Georgetown, TX
135. Dorothy Fisher, business owner, Austin, TX
136. Nathan Kirby, Cedar Park, TX
137. Jonathan and Dorothy Kirby, Financial Analysts, Irving, TX
138. Daisy Hill Boutique, Austin, TX
139. Allegra's Bridal, Austin, TX
140. Elizabeth Outlaw, business owner, Austin, TX
141. Cindy Christante, business owner, Austin, TX
142. Kristen Ogden, Austin, TX
143. Tracy Dyess, Pflugerville, TX
144. Jessica Carson, teacher, supporter of HEAL Africa, Austin, TX
145. Brooke Lester, Austin, TX
146. Heather Hidalgo, massage therapist, Round Rock, T
147. Paige Abernathy, RD, Austin, TX
148. Angela and Ben Roman, home builders, Georgetown, TX
149. Danielle Smith, , Round Rock, TX
150. Charlotte Procalamos, Georgetown, TX
151. Brenda Broussard, Georgetown, TX
152. Lori Humphrey, business owner, Austin, TX
153. Jennifer Winters, Austin, TX
154. Emily Blair, student, Georgetown, T
155. Gay Bokulich, Austin, TX
156. Jessica Bishop, Austin, TX
157. Loretta Denton, Georgetown, TX
158. Garnet Murphey, Dallas, TX
CANADIAN PARLIAMENT: The Coalition for Women's Rights in Conflict Situation call the Canadian Governement and the International Community to protect women and girls against sexual violence
CANADA MISSING IN ACTION ON CONGO
OTTAWA – November 7th, NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre) and civil society representatives issued a call to Canada’s new minister of foreign affairs for immediate action to help end the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Canada’s near total absence from the UN’s largest peacekeeping mission is shameful,” said Dewar. “Canada must provide immediate direct aid to the refugees and victims of violence in Congo.”
“Massive displacements, arbitrary assassinations, pillage, torture, kidnapping and an undetermined number of rapes are happening in Congo” said Gaëlle Breton Le Goff from the Coalition for Women’s Human Rights in
Situation of Conflict. “War, once again, is being waged on the bodies of women and girls and Canada needs to take immediate action”.
Dewar was joined by KAIROS, Coalition for Women's Rights in Situation of Conflict, and Development and Peace to call on the Government of Canada to:
- Respond to the immediate humanitarian needs of victims of the crisis using funds from CIDA’s Fragile States and Countries Experiencing Humanitarian Crisis program;
- Strengthen the mandate and resources of the UN mission in Congo (MONUC) to enforce ceasefire agreements with zero tolerance for violence and provide the necessary means to better protect the civilian population,especially women and girls, against all forms of sexual violence;
- Support restructuring the joint initiative against sexual violence in the DRC so as to integrate the experience of local NGOs in the development and implementation of programs to curb the scourge of sexual violence;
- Adopt the recommendations of the roundtable on the Corporate Social Responsibility in response to the influence of the mining activities on the crisis in the DRC and call on the UN to re-launch the work of its Panel on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"One of the major causes of this conflict is the struggle between armed groups for control of the artisanal mines of tin, cassiterite and coltan, which are smuggled illegally across the border, mostly into Rwanda" said
Mary Durran of Development and Peace. "Canada must call on the UN to investigate the trade in illegal mining, tracing its path to international markets, in order to expose which governments and commercial enterprises
are profiting from this illegal trade".
“We need political direction from the new Minister of Foreign Affairs to address this crisis immediately” concluded Dewar. “The cost of doing nothing is unacceptable to Canadians”.
Congolese women urge immediate international action on sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo
MONTREAL – November 6, 2008 – Rights & Democracy (the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development) announced its support today for an urgent campaign by women’s organizations from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that is calling for effective international action to stop acts of sexual violence against women and girls in the Eastern DRC.
Renewed fighting between government forces and rebel groups in the eastern province of North Kivu has left thousands of women and girls at risk of further sexual violence, a situation made worse by the forced displacement of an estimated 250,000 people in the area. Women and girls in the region already suffer one of the highest rates of rape and sexual violence in the world, and non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies in the region are reporting an escalation of these crimes in North Kivu.
“We are demanding that the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo stop being waged on the bodies of women and girls and that those responsible be held accountable,” said Gisèle Eva Côté, Women’s Rights Programme Officer at Rights & Democracy. “Every time the fighting resumes in Eastern Congo, efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of such crimes are severely compromised. This situation has been allowed to deteriorate for way too long.”
The petition is an initiative of the Congolese Women’s Campaign Against Sexual Violence in the DRC, which brings together 50 local women’s rights organizations in Congo. The petition puts forward nine recommendations that Congolese authorities, the United Nations and the international community must follow in order to protect women and girls against sexual violence and ensure that perpetrators of such crimes face justice.
These include:
- Reinforce the United Nations Mission in the DRC (MONUC) with the necessary means to better protect the civilian population, especially women and girls, against all forms of sexual violence.
- Establish a UN Security Council international commission of inquiry on crimes of sexual violence committed in the Eastern DRC since the beginning of the conflict in order to document these crimes and issue strong recommendations with benchmarks and reporting mechanisms.
- The International Criminal Court (ICC) must investigate and prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity – including sexual violence – committed after July 1, 2002, in cases where the Congolese authorities are unwilling or unable to conduct the investigations or prosecutions.
- The ICC must carry out the necessary measures to protect for the protection of victims and witnesses as well as all intermediaries collaborating with the Court.
- Ensure that all the various agencies of the United Nations, the Government of the DRC, and donor countries including Canada, restructure their joint initiatives for combating sexual violence in the DRC so as to integrate the experience of local NGOs in the development and implementation of programs to curb the scourge of sexual violence.
The Congolese Women’s Campaign Against Sexual Violence in the DRC is an initiative launched by women’s associations in Eastern DRC to bolster the fight against sexual violence. The campaign is supported by the Coalition for Women’s Human Rights in Conflict Situations and Rights & Democracy. To learn more about this initiative and read the petition please visit www.drcsexualviolence.org
For more information, please contact Steve Smith at Rights & Democracy, 514-898-4157.