Protect women and girls: YWCA calls for lasting peace in DR Congo
Geneva, November 18, 2008 : Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as rebel and militia factions renew fighting in the area. A majority of the internally displace people are women and children, a United Nations report confirms.
Insecurity and violence have plagued the region for decades. A 2008 report to the Human Rights Council confirms that non-State armed groups, including foreign militia, “commit sexual atrocities that aim at the complete physical and psychological destruction of women with implications for the entire society.”The situation is grim. As such, the World YWCA and the YWCA of the Democratic Republic of Congo call for immediate actions to bring about lasting peace in eastern DRC.
“The blood of the innocent is flowing. Thousands of women, children and the elderly are drifting in distress and are subjected to all kinds of violence, rape and trauma,” said Alice Mirimo Kabetsi, National President of the YWCA of DRC. In response, the YWCA of Goma is partnering with local organisations to support affected women and children in the area. Nearly a million people in eastern DRC are now displaced; deprived of their daily activities like school and farming many of them have ended up in the forest, sleeping on the ground and entirely dependant on humanitarian aid.
While the world this year celebrates 60 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, women and children in DRC are still subjected to unacceptable violations of their rights.
Therefore, the World YWCA and the YWCA of DRC urgently call on humanitarian agencies, the United Nations and governments to:
1. Prioritise gender-sensitive humanitarian assistance for displaced people.
The YWCA calls on humanitarian agencies to consider the particular needs of women and children in eastern DRC. Rape crisis centres must be set up; psychosocial intervention and counselling is needed for women who have survived rape and other forms of violence. Considering that sexual violence can contribute to the spread of HIV, medical centres must be established to provide information on HIV and AIDS, HIV testing, HIV-prevention drugs, counseling and treatment for HIV-positive women and girls.
2. Respect and fully implement the Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region (2006) including Article 11 on ending sexual violence. Heads of States in the Great Lakes region (eastern and central Africa) committed to lasting peace and security through a pact signed in 2006 and reiterated their commitment at a one day Summit in Nairobi on November 7, 2008. Article 11 of the pact states that lasting peace, security and economic development can not be attained without finding solutions to sexual violence against women and girls. The YWCA calls on governments to guarantee no impunity for rape, sexual enslavement and other crimes specifically targeting women during conflict and to find practical ways to protect women and girls.
3. Involve women in conflict resolution and peace building . The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security recognises the impact armed conflict has on women and girls and affirms the important role of women in preventing and resolving conflict and in building peace. Governments must appoint women to negotiating teams and ensure the voices of women are heard and their solutions considered as part of the peace building process. Women demand to be part of the process that would bring peace to their communities and security in their lives.
Although women’s fundamental human rights and freedoms are embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Beijing Platform for Action, and other international and regional human rights covenants, they are often disproportionately affected by conflict and war. The World YWCA recognises that when the security of women and girls is threatened, the whole community is affected. The World YWCA therefore affirms that women’s human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. Full and equal enjoyment of human rights by women and girls is a priority of the YWCA movement and is essential for the advancement of women and their communities.
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, General Secretary World YWCA
Alice Mirimo Kabetsi, National President YWCA of DRC
