In a statement released by Médecins Sans Frontières last week, it was revealed that from April 17 to 30, 2023, at least 674 victims of sexual violence were treated in six sites around Goma, in the North Province. -Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Supported at the rate of 48 per day, these victims were mostly assaulted during their travels outside the IDP sites, in search of firewood and food.
These alarming figures have provoked reactions of indignation and denunciation in the community of women’s rights activists in the country. According to Passy Mubalama, pro-democracy activist and founder of AIDPROFEN, “in the camps for the displaced, there are many cases of gender-based violence that are recorded every day. It is sad to know that the women who have forced to flee their villages are at the same time victims of sexual violence because they go in search of firewood or food. They do not deserve this”.
The sites implicated in this violence are Bulengo, Lushagala, Kanyaruchinya, Eloime, Munigi and Rusayo which alone recorded 360 victims. Nearly 60% of victims present themselves within 72 hours of their attack, which shows the medical and humanitarian emergency we are facing, according to the MSF emergency coordinator in North Kivu.
Women’s rights activists in the country have called on the state to take urgent measures to protect the populations and displaced people in the camps. Mimy Mopunga, member of the Permanent Consultation Framework for Congolese Women, notably called on the State to strengthen security around the camps for the displaced to protect women and girls, who are the future of the country and the region.
The past few weeks have been marked by a series of violence and tensions in the DRC. Critics and protests against the government are growing louder as political, economic and security challenges persist. It is in this difficult context that women’s rights activists continue to fight to defend their cause and protect displaced and vulnerable populations.