President Félix Tshisekedi chaired, this Monday, June 19, an international conference on gender-based violence (GBV) at the Pullman hotel in Kinshasa. This conference, which brought together nearly 200 national and international experts engaged in the fight against insecurity particularly affecting women in the DRC, has the theme “working together to end gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo”. The Congolese Head of State reiterated his commitment to fight against GBV.
According to a study conducted by experts, 45% of women in the DRC have already suffered some form of GBV, making the state of the Democratic Republic of Congo a less than rosy space for women’s rights. GBV in the DRC, exacerbated by socio-cultural constraints, poverty, armed conflict as well as the acceptance of violence committed against women, which is widely tolerated, is widespread throughout the country and tends to start as soon as childhood.
The conference aimed to broaden ideas and skills to respond to the complexity of insecurity in the DRC, inviting new actors to engage with existing actors working on GBV and bringing efforts to a higher level. It was also an opportunity to revitalize the Zero Tolerance Campaign, launched in November 2021, to present the results of ongoing interventions as well as to learn from similar programs existing in other countries both in Africa and around the world.
Sexual violence linked to the armed conflict raging in eastern DRC is also a major concern. This situation has led to a sharp increase in levels of sexual and gender-based violence in the provinces of Ituri, Tanganyika, North Kivu, South Kivu, South Maniema and Kasai.
The World Bank, a partner of the Congolese government in the fight against GBV, recalled its commitment to supporting the implementation of projects or operational components dedicated to the fight against this scourge. This conference, the first of its kind in the DRC, is also one more step towards achieving the ambitious objective set by the Head of State to become a space respectful of women’s rights.
Ultimately, this conference will enable the Congolese government to better respond to international standards as well as the deep aspirations of Congolese women in the face of the violence they suffer. All this in a context where international organizations are increasingly mobilizing in the fight against gender-based violence around the world.