AllAfrica:"Congo-Kinshasa: Gynecologist, Dr. Denis Mukwege, Wins This Year's King Baudouin International Development Prize"

"Esteemed Congolese gynecologist, Dr. Denis Mukwege, has been awarded the 2010/2011 King Baudouin International Development Prize for his commitment to helping thousands of women victims of rape and war crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Dr. Mukwege founded Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, which offers free, comprehensive care for women victims.  The specialized treatment offered at Panzi Hospital integrates psychological and physical treatment with social support to help cope with the stigma many victims face after they are assaulted. In the past 10 years, Dr. Mukwege and his team have treated more than 30,000 victims of sexual violence. The prevalence of rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo is widely recognized as one of the highest in the world.  In the war-torn region, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of women have been raped or severely maimed.  Sexual violence is used as a weapon of war by rebel forces, strategically perpetrated to institute a reign of fear in order to seize control of mineral-rich areas.

 

Beyond his work at Panzi Hospital, Dr. Mukwege has also gained recognition for advocating tirelessly on behalf of the victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  At risk to his own life, he has appealed to policymakers for increased protection for the women of the region and championed an integrated health care system that meets the unique challenges of violence and chaos in the Congo.

 

Dr. Peter Piot, Chairman of the King Baudouin Foundation and Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "Dr. Mukwege is one of Africa's great humanitarians whose work is a source of hope and inspiration for people across the African continent. Through his work as a doctor and advocate, Dr. Mukwege is shining a spotlight on one of the most pervasive and pernicious human rights abuses in the world – violence against women.  His dedication and commitment to this issue are a perfect fit with the values of the Prize."Dr. Mukwege received the Prize at the Royal Palace in Brussels, at a ceremony attended by King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium and other esteemed guests such as Margot Wallstrom, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict.

 

"It is a privilege and an honor for me to be receiving the King Baudouin International Development Prize.  Most importantly, I am grateful for the opportunity to reiterate the critical need for all of us to take action for women in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  We cannot risk being silent on this grave injustice – destroying women means destroying life," said Dr. Mukwege. The King Baudouin International Development Prize was established in 1978 to recognize and support pioneers who have made outstanding contributions to addressing key challenges and advancing social progress in the developing world. The Prize winner receives 150,000 euros (approximately US$210,000) and the opportunity to meet leaders of key international organizations such as the World Bank, the United Nations and the European Union.  Past recipients of the Prize include such distinguished humanitarians and advocates as Ousmane Sy and Paulo Freire, both now recognized around the world for their innovative contributions to critical development challenges." (AllAfrica)

 

CNN: "Psycologist Proof of Hundreds of Rape Cases During Libya's War"

"Benghazi, Libya (CNN) -- In the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Libya the whispers and rumors about rape being used as a tool of war by Moammar Gadhafi's troops are coming from all corners of society, from rebel fighters to doctors and citizens, who have come in contact with families displaced by the conflict.  Now a Libyan psychologist has come forward saying she has case study after case study that proves these rumors and whispers are true. Psychologist Siham Sergewa has a number of distressing images which she says demonstrates the abuse of alleged victims -- one appears to show a cigarette burn on a woman's breast, another a faded bite mark, while several others show the deep purple hue of nasty bruises. Sergewa first heard reports of rape from the mother of a patient who called her from the Ajdabiya - a town that was caught in a deadly tug of war on Libya's front line war.

"She was crying and very distressed and she said to me that she had been raped. She was saying lots of women are raped and they wanted to call you," Sergewa said.  The woman then claimed lots of women had been raped and wanted to call Sergewa. More phone calls from other women followed and Sergewa decided she had to do something. She traveled to refugee camps on the Libyan border with Tunisia and Egypt where thousands of people were seeking refuge from the devastating conflict. With the help of volunteers she began a mental health survey in an effort to identify those needing help. The questionnaire that was distributed sought all sorts of information such as the names and ages of the respondents and asked whether they were getting enough food. One of the last questions asked whether they had been raped and by whom.

Sergewa says that of the 50,000 questionnaires she got back from men and women, 295 women admitted they had been raped, and all blamed Gadhafi's soldiers. She said one woman told her "they tie up my husband, they rape me in front of my husband and then they kill my husband," while others wrote their feelings or detail of what happened on the back of the questionnaire in Arabic. One read: "Forget what is happening to me. The only way is by killing myself. I am so sad." Sergewa said others recounted stories of gang rape where they would be held for days in abandoned houses where up to 15 men would rape them.

"I'm a psychologist and I've seen lots of things really. But sometimes after I leave some of these families I just sit in my car and cry because it's really so painful," she said. Sergewa shared her research, complete with pictures and recordings, with the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague, where prosecutors are currently investigating accusations that the Gadhafi regime has used rape as a tool of war.  The ICC's chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told CNN last week that the court has information about women who were stopped at checkpoints and, because they were carrying the flag of the rebels, were taken by police and gang raped.
He also said there were reports of the use of male sexual enhancement drugs, which he called a "tool of massive rape."  "There's some information with Viagra. So, it's like a machete," he said. "It's new. Viagra is a tool of massive rape. So we are investigating. We are not ready to present the case yet, but I hope in the coming month, we'll add charges or review the charges for rapes."It was not clear whether Moreno-Ocampo used the term "Viagra" as a catch-all for male sexual enhancement drugs in general.

An official with the Gadhafi regime in Tripoli told CNN that "the Libyan government welcomes an investigation into these claims."So far the only alleged rape victim to go public is Eman al-Obeidy. She received worldwide attention on March 26, when she burst into the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli to tell her story while journalists staying there were having breakfast.  But according to Sergewa, there is a reason why more women have not come forward: Rape in Libyan society is seen as a permanent stain on an entire family's reputation. Rape victims suffer in silence; afraid even to tell husbands or parents for fear they will be abandoned.

Even in al-Obeidy's case her parents proudly announced a man had agreed to marry her in absentia which al-Obeidy agreed to. That is a common reaction by families trying to "save" the reputation of a daughter who is single. Sergewa said the fear of being unwanted or being abandoned by a husband or parents because of rape has become reality for 20 women she interviewed.  "It is really very distressing story. I feel these girls. She's been twice hurt, one by her family and one by Gadhafi's troop[s]. You know what I mean?" (CNN)

Times Live: "NGO warns of rapes ahead of poll"

"With fresh talk of elections being held this year gaining momentum, a nongovernment organisation says the three parties in the shaky government of national unity should ensure that women are protected from politically motivated rapes.

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President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF politburo - the party's supreme decision-making body outside congress - is still insisting that the elections should be held this year without fail. This is despite advice to the contrary from other parties in the GNU, as well as from SA President Jacob Zuma, the SADC-appointed mediator in the Zimbabwean crisis. While Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC-T party have publicly stated that Mugabe and Zanu-PF would be in violation of the Global Political Agreement if they rush the polls before the full implementation of an election road map, indications point to elections being held before the end of the year.

This has led to fears of resurgence of political violations against women.
In the 2008 bloody presidential polls, in which Tsvangirai beat Mugabe, scores of women suspected to be supporters of the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change were subjected to politically motivated rape attributed to Zanu-PF agents provocateurs among the youth militia and war veterans. Several reports have been produced by civic society organisations chronicling the extent of such rapes before, during and after presidential elections.

Although some of the Zanu-PF perpetrators of sexual violence are known, no action has been taken against the majority of them. A report entitled "Political Motivated Rape in Zimbabwe", released last month by the Women's Programme of Research and Advocacy Unit, states that if the elections are held this year, violence against women should be addressed to "ensure that there are no lingering feelings of hatred and anger in society which can be the cause of future conflict". The report notes that the GPA, signed by Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara in September 2008, acknowledges that violence "dehumanises and engenders feelings of hatred". "Politically motivated sexual violence against women in Zimbabwe takes many forms. This includes extreme violence, gang rape and insertion of objects (bottles and sticks) into the woman's private parts," the report reads in part.
"In some instances, the rape is committed at the instigation of a military leader or a war veteran, showing that it is a strategy to intimidate political opponents.
"Often used during election periods or periods of national importance, it is quite evident that the rape is used as a psychological weapon in order to humiliate the opposition and undermine their morale," adds the report.

In conclusion, the report recommends that a multi-sectoral investigation into politically motivated rapes, led by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, together with the Ministries of Women's Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Labour and Social Welfare, Home Affairs and Justice and Legal Affairs, be undertaken on a large scale countrywide. It says there should be no immunity for perpetrators of violence and that cases of rape should be investigated and prosecuted in keeping with the law. The government should also ensure that survivors of sexual violence are consulted in any programme of assistance. This would take into account the fact that they do not live in a vacuum. The government should also implement all signed regional and international instruments that protect women from all forms of violence." (Times Live)

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RNW: "Study: rape stats in DR Congo 26 times higher than thought."

"The rate at which women in Congo are raped is found to be 26 times higher than usually cited by the UN, The American journal of Public Health reported yesterday. The new data are seen as more realistic, but rape is still thought to be underreported.

The study used 2007 health data from the Congolese government and found that 400,000 women between the ages of 15 and 49 were raped in a twelve-month period in 2006 and 2007. Rates of sexual violence cited by the UN are as low as 15,300 cases for 2008 and 2009.

Where previous estimates used police and health reports to conjure up a number, this study, titled Estimates and Determinants of Sexual Violence Against Women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, used data from a 2007 government survey. The number is higher because statistics not only include victims who went to the police, but also a cross section of the Congolese population.

Overall, approximately 1.8 women were raped at least once. Roughly 3 million women were subjected to acts of sexual violence by an intimate partner, showing how far the culture of rape reaches.
In addition to the chilling rates, the study also found that sexual violence is much more wide spread geographically than thought before. Congo's conflict is usually thought to be confined to the Eastern Kivus, but rates of rape that are nearly as high are reported in the northwestern province of Équateur.

The study excludes cases of sexual violence against boys and men and is still seen to underestimate the problem. In late 2009, the American newspaper the New York Times alerted its readers to increasing numbers of men being raped in Congo." (RNW)