Prevention of Violence Against Women
Violence against women in the DRC is not a new phenomenon. It takes many different forms and occurs within a context that is greatly influenced by social and cultural factors, discriminatory legislation, ethnic conflicts and poor governance. Incidents of violence abound, be they in the family, in the community or at the state level. Some laws and customs condone violence against women. This tolerance can be seen in the lax attitude toward many rape cases. In some incidents, the perpetrator marries his victim as reparation for the crime or provides the victim’s family with monetary compensation.
Armed conflicts have aggravated the existing cultural and social context and since the outbreak of war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1996 the situation of women’s rights has deteriorated dramatically. The atrocities perpetrated by armed groups during the successive conflicts have been unimaginably cruel. Rape and sexual slavery have been among the worst horrors aimed at the complete physical and psychological destruction of women, with all of the consequences that this implies for society as a whole. Despite the 2006 elections, violence in the eastern part of the DRC continues, and the widespread assault of women and girls persists. Sexual violence, for example, which in the past was a private household matter, has become a weapon of war used by armed groups to terrorize, intimidate and humiliate local populations. The deliberate targeting of women and the severity of the violence are why this is often referred to as “the war within the war.”
Ten years ago, the mere mention of violence against women in the DRC was a cultural taboo. The wars unexpectedly brought the issue out in the open, even though most victims still keep silent about these crimes, out of a fear of being rejected and cast off by society. It is in this context that Congolese civil society is taking action to advocate human rights and women’s rights and to fight violence against women. Most of what is currently being done focuses on the provision of the much-needed emergency medical and psychological care for victims.
What PAC is doing
In 2004, PAC published a study on the question of violence against women in DRC – “Why Gender still Matters: Sexual Violence and the need to confront Militarized Masculinity”. Following the study, PAC began supporting a civil society programme that aims to prevent violence against women through awareness-raising, education, training, advocacy and mobilization to encourage change at the legislative, social and cultural levels. The legislative changes required include the revision of laws on discrimination against women, such as the Family Code, Land Code and commercial law, as well as the harmonization of laws with the provisions of the new Constitution and with ratified international and regional legal instruments.
The aim of this programme – which is led by CENADEP and PAIF - is to eradicate violence against women and thereby reinforce their role in building democracy, peace, and sustainable human development. CENADEP and PAIF have published a guide to working on this issue: Guide de sensibilisation contre les violences faites aux femmes de la République Démocratique du Congo. Details of CENADEP’s work can be found on their web site at: http://www.cenadep.net/
Other useful sites
UNIFEM – Violence against Women
http://www.unifem.org/gender_issues/violence_against_women/
Rights and Democracy http://www.dd-rd.ca/site/what_we_do/
Amnesty International – Canada http://www.amnesty.ca/campaigns/svaw_overview.php
Human Rights Watch http://www.hrw.org/
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