On March 8, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights held a hearing, “The Democratic Republic of the Congo: Securing Peace in the Midst of Tragedy.”
Acknowledging the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, Chair Chris Smith (R-NJ), Ranking Member Donald Payne (D-NJ), and the hearing witnesses discussed the still-pervasive threat of sexual and gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Rep. Smith said, “And given that today is International Women’s Day, this is a particularly appropriate occasion to recognize the courageous women of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In addition to the hardships that unduly impact women in situations of conflict and underdevelopment, the women of the DRC have had to endure years of brutal victimization of rape and other forms of sexual violence used a weapon of war. An estimated 200,000 women have been raped there since 1998. Their physical and psychological suffering has been compounded by the ongoing absence of measures to prevent future attacks, the impunity with which perpetrators continue in their communities or the military, and the stigma wrongly placed on victims by Congolese society. A recent report by a UN [United Nations] panel detailed interviews held with victims of sexual violence in the DRC. While the plight of all the victims is heart wrenching, the interviews with those in the Kivus who are still experiencing ongoing armed conflict are worth emphasizing. These women are desperately in need of the most basic necessities – medical care, housing, and a means of supporting themselves and their children. But when asked what they would like to have done to restore their lives and regain their dignity, virtually every one responded that peace and security is their first and most immediate need. They pleaded with the panel to convey this message to the world, because without peace and security, anything else they might acquire could be lost again at any time. A primary goal of this hearing is to answer the pleas of these women.”
Rep. Payne echoed the chair’s remarks, saying, “I appreciate, Mr. Smith, that this hearing is on the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day. Ending sexual violence as a weapon of war remains one of the greatest challenges to our ability to adequately protect women’s human rights. Whether the survivor is a young girl or her grandmother, we must do all that we can to end this scourge. The United Nations, the White House, the State Department, Capitol Hill, and the American people all understand the importance of reducing violence in eastern Congo. This means regulating the trade in conflict minerals that acts as an economic fuel to the conflict; creating the political will to fully transform the Congolese national army to live up to its mandate; and tackling impunity for war criminals and illegal actors that continues to enable those most responsible for mass atrocities. The United States, in its role on the UN Security Council, recently demonstrated strong leadership on the passage of UN Resolution 1960, which requires the Council and member states to honor commitments to combat sexual violence in conflict, investigate abuses, and hold perpetrators to account. I encourage the administration to continue to lead on this issue by finalizing a strong strategy to tackle the root causes of sexual violence and other human rights crimes in eastern Congo.”
“Addressing the consequences and causes of human rights abuses and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) continues to be a priority for USAID,” explained Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa Rajakumari Jandhyala. She continued, “For nearly a decade, USAID has been the leading bilateral donor in the DRC for SGBV response and prevention activities, as part of a broader effort for stabilization and protection. We are an active member of the interagency working group on SGBV and an important contributor to donor discussions about SGBV. USAID and [the] State [Department] led the development of the U.S. Strategy to Address SGBV in the DRC, with four key objectives: to reduce impunity for perpetrators, to increase prevention of, and protection against, SGBV for vulnerable populations, to improve the capacity of the security sector to address SGBV, and to increase access to quality services for SGBV survivors. USAID programs to provide access to support services for SGBV survivors and their families, including medical and psychosocial care, counseling and family mediation, social and economic reintegration support, and legal aid…In addition, USAID has provided technical assistance in the drafting of critical legislation and subsequent prosecutions in SGBV cases in the DRC. USAID efforts to promote awareness of the 2006 Law against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence led to an increase in surveyed population awareness from 21 to over 66 percent in South Kivu province. USAID also works with civil society organizations to improve gender perceptions and empower vulnerable populations, including through behavior change communication and engaging men and boys. We have provided technical assistance to almost 100 national human rights organizations on how to successfully plan and manage projects, raise community awareness of human rights and SGBV, and monitor courts and judicial processes.”
Francisca Vigaud-Walsh, sexual and gender-based violence advisor, Catholic Relief Services, elaborated on the consequences of sexual and gender-based violence in the DRC, saying, “Rape survivors are routinely ostracized from their families and communities; they suffer severe medical consequences, including urogenital and rectogenital fistula; HIV and STIs [sexually transmitted infections], such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis; they endure life-lasting and sometimes incapacitating post-trauma stress disorder. Some children born of rape – referred to by some Congolese as ‘Interahamwe babies’ in reference to members of the Hutu paramilitary organization involved in the Rwandan genocide and who constitute the FDLR militia group – are abandoned out of shame. This is just the tip of the iceberg.” Ms. Vigaud-Walsh also urged continued support for programs that assist victims of SGBV: “In the face of what may sometimes seem like little progress, it is increasingly important that the USG [U.S. government] maintain and expand its support for the critical responses I have already described. USG support needs to be provided with adequate conscience protections and clauses so that it does not discriminate against faith-based providers, like the [Catholic] Church. If the DRC is to have a future, the hundreds of thousands of women who have been raped must get the care they need and further violence must be prevented. Even within the context of scarce resources, there are cost-effective measures that the USG can implement to reduce the scourge of sexual violence in the DRC and respond to the context of insecurity, conflict, and poor governance that promote rape and violence as a weapon of war against the people of eastern Congo…Military solutions to the conflict have not and will not work. What is needed is negotiation, mediation, and diplomacy with skillfully applied pressure on all the actors – including neighboring countries and most importantly, the Congolese government. The U.S. government needs to step up its role and much more aggressively, urgently, comprehensively, and cohesively engage diplomatically in the DRC. The USG must do everything possible to find the pressure points and use its influence to foster processes that will lead to an end to armed conflict. The magnitude of the seemingly never-ending humanitarian crisis and the potential for the fragile situation to get even worse demands a proportionate response.”
Ben Affleck, actor and founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative, described the need for support of women and girls in the DRC: “Girls and women across rural areas continue to live in fear of their own security forces. Although there have been some prosecutions of soldiers for these crimes, they have been too few and too far between. As we applaud the good news regarding the recent prosecution of Congolese soldiers for horrible rapes committed in South Kivu, we must remember that the vast majority of these crimes still occur with no consequence for perpetrators. For example, yet another Congolese commander was convicted and imprisoned in 2006 for recruiting child soldiers. He escaped from prison and holds a post as a senior commander in the Congolese Army.” Mr. Affleck continued, “There are some bright spots. The UN force, renamed MONUSCO (United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo), has the protection of civilians as its most important task. The present head of MONUSCO, Roger Meece, is a distinguished retired American diplomat who served twice in the Congo, including as Ambassador from 2004-2007. Meece has publicly advocated for increased support from the international community. Without increased resources, however, MONUSCO’s core objective is severely threatened.”
Ambassador Donald Yamamoto, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and John Prendergast, co-founder, Enough Project, also testified.
