UN panel visits rape victims in Congo, calls for greater support

[News_Editor]

UN panel visits rape victims in Congo, calls for greater support

2010-10-14 00:34:10 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) on Wednesday said that victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), especially in remote areas of the vast country, need greater support.

Direct words from survivors were heard by a high-level panel convened by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay to look into the adequacy of remedies and reparations available to sexual violence survivors, met with dozens of victims, ranging in age from three to 61 years, in three provinces.

Between September 30 and October 10, the three-member body visited different places and held talks with Government officials, as well as civil society and UN representatives.

“As we heard again and again, there is a deep need and a clear call from victims for much more assistance and reparation,†said Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner and chair of the panel. “The lives they knew have been largely destroyed, and they are suffering greatly – physically, psychologically and materially.â€

Sexual violence has been a serious problem for many years in the DRC, which has been described as the “rape capital of the world†by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallström, who joined the panel when it visited Bukavu in South Kivu province.

The panel found the necessity of public recognition of the harm suffered by victims and support for the survivors, especially from the highest levels of Government. This would help change the culture that currently shames victims rather than the perpetrators of sexual violence.

Health care and education for themselves and for their children were among the highest priorities for victims, while peace and security was the first and foremost concern for survivors in the war-ravaged Kivu provinces of eastern DRC.

On Wednesday, Kang said that victims often face stigma from their families and communities.

“Their husbands desert them, they are socially ostracized, and often this rejection is compounded for victims who suffer from fistula, victims who become pregnant and bear children as a result of rape, or victims who contract sexually-transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS,†Kang said.

“The women made it clear to us that the destruction must stop before any rebuilding can begin, and the panel is adding its own voice to this desperate plea for peace and security,†Kang added.

With most victims not able to seek justice through the legal system since they could not identify or locate their perpetrators, the fight against impunity and access to justice are also vital elements, the body said.

There are many forms of reparation to fit the varying needs of victims, the panel said, which met a woman who had been infected with HIV as a result of rape and unknowingly infected her husband.

“When he died, his family threw her and her children out of her own home,†Kang said. “For this woman, a house where she and her children can live in peace is what she most needs to rebuild her life.â€

According to the high-level body, even for victims who were able to identify their perpetrators and had the courage to bring their cases to court, the successes have been hollow since perpetrators have escaped from jail and no payments have been made on indemnities awarded to them.

The panel also met with several male victims of sexual violence who suffer an additional layer of stigmatization due to their gender.

Last month, a UN human rights team confirmed that more than 300 civilians were raped between July 30 and August 2 in the Walikale region in the eastern part of the country, while warning that the total number of victims may be even higher.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-10-14