Goma - Geneva, 25 November 2013. To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and “Synergie des Femmes pour les Victimes des Violences Sexuelles” (SFVS) call on the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as well as on the International Community to take urgent action to stop violence against women in North and South Kivu.
Violence against women in the DRC is reaching alarming proportions. According to a report published on 8 October 2013 by the Ministry of Gender, Family and the Child, at least 40 women are reported raped every day in the DRC. The report confirms that a total of 29.354 cases of sexual violence are registered in seven provinces, including North and South Kivu between 2011 and 2013. Eighty-one per cent of the sexual violence cases are rape cases; ninety-eight per cent of the victims are women.
OMCT et SFVS welcome the trial against 41 government soldiers (FARDC) accused of grave human rights violations, including mass rapes, in Minova, in Northern South Kivu, in November 2012 when the M23 took control of Goma and the government soldiers were retreating to the town of Minova. While the government of the DRC has the responsibility to prevent and to protect women from violence throughout the whole territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, impunity remains the norm in North and South Kivu. The trial of Minova takes place after a year of pressure by the international community.
OMCT and SFVS call on the government to exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate, and punish all acts of violence against women, mass rapes and war crimes. Furthermore, we call on the government to provide redress to the victims, regardless of whether they are victimised by government soldiers, armed opposition groups (including the M23) or private individuals. OMCT and SFVS also call on the government to protect the security of the victims, as well as witnesses and women human rights defenders who continue to face threats and harassment when assisting the victims in their struggle for justice.
Moreover, OMCT and SFVS call on the International community to protect women against violence and to support the government of the DRC in the fight against impunity.
Please visit http://www.omct.org/violence-against-women for information on OMCT and SFVS joint project in North and South Kivu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It aims to contribute to the prevention and eradication of violence against women, including sexual violence, in North and South Kivu by strengthening the capacity of women human rights defenders and supporting their actions to eliminate violence against women.
For further information, please contact :
- Justine Masika Bihamba, President – SFVS at justinemasika@gmail.com / +243 81 31 79
957
- Carin Benninger-Budel, Human Rights Adviser – OMCT at cbb@omct.org / +41
22 809 49 31.
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