allAfrica.com: East Africa: Sex and Gender Based Violence in the Great Lakes Region (Page 1 of 3)

Let me first and foremost start by emphasizing that the theme: Ending Impunity on Sexual and Gender Based Violence is a befitting one. This conference could not have come at a more opportune moment. The high prevalence of SGBV in our continent and the Great Lakes region in particular has heightened resolve to work together for action, to turn rhetoric to practice.

There have been countless initiatives at international and regional level aimed at putting to an end to Sexual and Gender Based Violence, culture of impunity and other forms of related crime. However, we have not done enough to eradicate these types of crimes and those who have perpetuated these crimes have gotten away with impunity. Therefore this an opportunity to join forces to address the gaps in our actions and accelerate the implementation of the urgent responses to this pandemic problem, ensure prevention, protection, access to care and justice to the victims.

THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE GREAT LAKES REGION AND THE FIGHT AGAINST SEXUAL VIOLENCE

The International Conference on the Great Lakes region has been the incubator for the formulation of landmark protocol and model legislation for the region in the areas of Prevention and Suppression of Sexual Violence against Women and Children. The Protocol seeks to fill the legal void that prevails in most of the legal systems in the countries of the region as a response to the systemic rape of women and children in the Great Lakes Region.

The high prevalence of sexual violence against women and children in the Great Lakes Region, its crippling impact and the culture of shame and impunity that has surrounded these crimes has compelled the women of the region to break the silence and to tackle the issue at a regional level within the framework of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. Rape as a weapon of war has become a defining characteristic of the armed conflict in the Great Lakes Region and Democratic Republic of Congo in particular.

The seriousness of the matter has been given attention by the 11 Heads of State and Government of the Great Lakes Region namely: Angola, Burundi, CAR, Congo, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Under the milestone initiative of the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (IC/GLR), the Heads of State and Government have committed themselves to set up regional mechanisms to protect women and children and provide legal and material assistance for victims and survivors of sexual violence. This commitment resulted in the adoption of the Protocol and accompanying Project that seeks to punish acts of sexual violence against women and children both during peace time and during armed conflict.

This legislation, the first in the area of protection against sexual violence in time of conflict and post conflict establishes international standards to address the crime of sexual violence in regions affected by conflicts. The legislation further defines the offence of sexual violence based on the definition provided under the Statutes of the international tribunal for Rwanda and Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Court. The legislation further establishes links between the crime of sexual violence and the offences of trafficking; slavery, genocide and war crimes. The protocol further incorporates preventive aspects as encapsulated in such statutes as CEDAW, the Africa Union and UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Counseling procedures are also provided for as part of the rehabilitation of victims of sexual violence. The protocol also advocate for maximum sentencing as per the domestic legislation of individual states.

RESPONSE TO THE SYSTEMIC RAPE OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION

As part of collaborative effort, the ICGLR in collaboration with UNIFEM and other UN Agencies and partners organized recently the High Level Regional Consultation on "Eradicating Sexual Violence and Ending Impunity in the Great Lakes Region" from 15th - 18th June 2008 in Goma. The objective of the consultation was to come with practical approaches aimed at strategizing and seeking the best way to domesticate the ICGLR Protocol and implement the enabling project on the subject. During the four days in Goma, we discussed and debated on a number of pertinent issues regarding the pandemic of SGBV and continued violations of the human rights of prominently women and children, and pervasive impunity in the Great Lakes Region for cases related to sexual violence and exploitation.

We listened to the testimonies from the field by representatives of civil society organizations, traditional and religious leaders, the Medical Doctor of the famously known Panzi hospital in Bukavu, South Kivu, for victims of sexual violence, as well as presentations from representatives of the UNFPA, UNIFEM, the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR), the DRC government, United Nations Mission in DRC (MONUC) as well as the Deputy Commander of the 8th Military Region of North Kivu. We also listened to the testimony of one of victims and viewed documentaries on the horrifying stories of sexual violence and exploitation of women and children in Eastern Congo. I would like to commend to you all to watch the documentary film, "The Greatest Silence: Rape in Congo" to appreciate the magnitude of this heinous crime perpetuated by the armed groups in eastern DRC with impunity. The High-level consultation concluded with the adoption of the action oriented Declaration known as the Goma Declaration on Eradicating Sexual Violence and Ending Impunity in the Great Lakes Region. I would like to share this document with you; we have distributed some copies.

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