Violence against girls & women in the Congo
Our voices matter: Congolese women and girls demand justice and accountability.
In 2011, local women's human rights defenders recorded the stories of survivors who courageously spoke out against sexual violence to call for justice, accountability and assistance. Their voices matter.
Since 1996, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has endured armed conflict. A range of armed groups and forces, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), the DRC Mai Mai militia, and the DRC national army (FARDC) commit violence in the eastern provinces.
Thousands of women and girls are killed, abducted, raped, enslaved and tortured every year. In 2006, the government of the DRC adopted laws criminalising rape and other forms of sexual violence. Yet, few perpetrators have been prosecuted and the majority of victims/survivors do not have access to medical and psycho-social assistance.
This video was produced with support from Witness and ICC Women.
WITNESS is an international nonprofit organization that uses video and storytelling to gain greater attention to human rights abuses and fight injustice. Personal stories of abuse are transformed into powerful tools that can pressure those in power or with power to act.
The Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice is an international women's human rights organisation that advocates for gender justice through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other methods. They work in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, the Central African Republic, and other countries.