Full report - International Alert

56 • Women’s Bodies as a Battleground: Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls During the War in the Democratic Republic of Congo9Civil Society and Support for the Victims of Rape andSexual ViolenceThe disintegration of the state and the fact that it plays virtually no part in the day-to-dayadministration of society has encouraged the emergence, in South Kivu as in the rest of theDRC, of an extremely dynamic civil society. This takes the form of NGOs and associationsset up to protect human rights and to work for peace, as well as women’s groups. The massivescale on which sexual violence has taken place during the conflict in South Kivu has impelleda number of civil society actors to become involved in confronting this problem and, usingwhat means they have, taking on the task of caring for the victims.These associations are active in various fields: providing victims with health care, legalassistance, food, and psychological support, and organising political training designed tofoster a culture of peace and to encourage people to claim their human rights and, morespecifically, women’s rights, without which there is no possibility of planning for the future.In many cases these various activities are organised collectively through networks, created inorder to achieve greater effectiveness. Likewise, local NGOs and associations work inconjunction with international NGOs and UN organisations. There have been a number ofsuccesses, but there are still challenges to be met, and structural and material problems indoing so.9.1 Organisations working to care for victims: “Unity is strength”• RFDP - Le Réseau des Femmes pour la Défense des Droits et la Paix/Women’s Network forthe Defence of Rights and for PeaceThis network was set up by two women on their return from a workshop on conflictresolution at Entebbe in Uganda in 1999 at which they had represented the DRC. It bringstogether Congolese women from various groups of society who are involved either in aprofessional capacity or as volunteers in the promotion of women’s rights and of peace, withthe aim of contributing to the building of a just, equitable, harmonious and peaceful society.It is concerned essentially with civic education designed to inform the women of South Kivuabout their rights and organises workshops for exchanging views on women’s rights, talksabout the law, and human rights awareness-raising campaigns. It also takes part in radioprogrammes on these issues.The network provides social and legal assistance through a system of fortnightly visits towomen prisoners to check on the conditions in which they are being kept, the way they arebeing treated (meals, how they are guarded), and also on administrative matters such aswhether the prisoners’ files are in proper order, how far their cases have progressed, and thecurrent legal status of their cases.The RFDP is also active in condemning cases of violence and the violation of women’s rights,and in conflict resolution. It monitors and documents cases of rights violations, using reportsprovided by witnesses and the victims themselves and by local partner organisations. Theyalso visit the localities concerned.