Women's associations in Eastern Congo have joined together to launch the Congolese Women’s Campaign Against Sexual Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Sexual violence in the DRC is a well known reality; more than 40 rapes occur daily in the eastern part of the country. This violence has been documented by numerous NGO and media groups, yet initiatives to combat this violence have not achieved concrete results.
The Congolese Women’s Campaign Against Sexual Violence aims to organize various campaigns against sexual violence throughout the country and create an online database through which organizations can access and share information. The hope is that these efforts will create more coordinated victim protection, and ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted.
The Campaign is calling on international organizations and actors to support their campaign. They have created an online petition which may be accessed at: http://www.rdcviolencesexuelle.org/site/en/node/58
Compiled from: "Congolese Women’s Campaign Against Sexual Violence in the DRC," www.rdcviolencesexuelle.org, 2008.