Breaking the Silence Around Sexual Violence in Africa
The YWCA of Ethiopia participated in a one-day workshop for survivors of sexual violence that was held on March 27, 2011 in Addis Ababa. The workshop was organised in preparation for the second African Union Peace and Security Council Livingstone Formula on Women and Children in Armed Conflict that was held on March 28. Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS) partnered with the AU Panel of the Wise, in collaboration with UN Women and civil society organisations (such as Urgent Action Fund, Oxfam and the YWCA, among others), to organise this one-day preparatory meeting. This meeting helped prepare women survivors of sexual violence to produce a statement and to deliver their testimonies during the Livingston Formula. The women were selected from DRC, Sudan, Uganda, Guinea, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Cote d’Ivoire. The workshop aimed to help break the taboo around discussions related to sexual violence.
The Livingstone Formula of the African Union (AU) has made it possible for civil society organisations to contribute to the efforts of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) to foster peaceful and stable societies and to protect civilians, especially women and children. This collaboration of the AU and civil society has helped bring to the forefront, the personal stories of women and children during armed conflict and has further opened the door for civil society to impact AU processes to safeguard the livelihoods of women and children, and for the AU to support civil society in mobilising national, community and continental efforts towards sustainable peace initiatives.
The conference was organised to prompt and urge the Peace and Security Council and the AU Commission towards a holistic approach in the implementation of existing commitments and policies addressing issues related to women and children in armed conflict. This will allow for the consolidation of the efforts of the AU Commission and the Peace and Security Council in addressing issues related to women and children in armed conflicts (i.e. sexual violence, other forms of sexual exploitation, use of child soldiers, etc).
The YWCA of Ethiopia participated in both the workshop and the meeting. Kebede Kuribachew, Public Relations and Communications Officer of the YWCA of Ethiopia, said “that the workshop was a very good opportunity for us to speak about the challenges African women face, particularly with regards to sexual violence during armed conflicts.” The African Union Peace and Security department, international non-governmental organisations and individuals working with survivors of sexual violence attended the two-day event. At the end of the conference a statement was presented to the AU Peace and Security Council consolidating the views and recommendations of women survivors regarding the prevention of sexual violence and the rehabilitation of survivors. It is expected that the Council will come up with a clear road map on how to involve women survivors of sexual violence in shaping the outcome of the Second Livingstone Formula on Women and Children in Armed Conflict in Africa.
