Congo Kinshasa
Women principal war victims in Great Lakes

afrol.com, 26 October - Women comprise some 80 per cent of internally displaced persons and refugees when there is a war. Women and girls are also victims of rape, domestic violence, sexual exploitation, trafficking, sexual humiliation and mutilation. Until now, however, their voice is seldom heard when "the important men" talk peace and war.

Women as victims of war and women's role in peace building has been an important topic of discussion in several forums, most notably the United Nations, lately. There has been a special focus on the war, its victims and the peace process in the Great Lakes region.

Atoki Ileka, representing Congo Kinshasa (DRC), told the UN Security Council that the recognition of women as equal partners in the prevention of war "is an important step. Recognizing their contribution to peace-building, however, is even more critical. Women must be involved in conflict resolution so that they could use their creativity to build consensus and find solutions for peace." He emphasized that women and children "are the first victims" of the war in his country, "which has a devastating impact on all aspects of life in" the DRC. 

Blaming Ugandan and Rwandan troops for horrible acts of violence against women, particularly in Kisingani, he told the Council that "those women have resisted rape and were subsequently bled dry and their bodies rubbed with pepper and salt in every orifice. In other incidents, women militants were arrested and raped, along with schoolgirls. The barbaric practice of collective rape has also served to spread the HIV/AIDS virus." Equal testimonies of acts of violence against women are also reported from the other side in the conflict, and attributed Government troops and its allies.

"The security of women is the best indicator of the security of a nation"
Women and girls are vulnerable both in times of peace and war, due to profound gender inequalities that still characterize societies. They comprise some 80 per cent of internally displaced persons and refugees on a worldwide scale. Women and girls are also victims of rape, domestic violence, sexual exploitation, trafficking, sexual humiliation and mutilation. Reversing this situation requires political will and determination to fulfil all commitments concerning the protection and promotion of the women’s rights. In the words of the President of the Security Council, "women are half of every community, are they therefore not half of every solution?" How can we, in good conscience, bring warlords to the negotiating table and not women, the representative of the UN's agency for women, UNIFEM asked. 

- No full-scale assessment of the impact of armed conflict on women has yet taken place. Ironically, it has happened for children, but not yet for women - their primary caretakers and among those most affected by conflict, she went on. "International protection and assistance systematically neglect women and girls. There are thousands of children born of rape and forced impregnation." 

After conflicts, resources are depleted, infrastructure is destroyed, and social, economic and political relationships are strained. Successful reconstruction depends upon the use of every available resource. Women represent the most precious and underutilised of these resources, as it was shown in the Burundi peace process. At the beginning of the negotiation, the majority of proposals crafted by Burundian women at a recent conference held in Arusha from 17 - 20 July were accepted by the nineteen conflict parties.

On this occasion, the key recommendations made by the women included: the establishment of mechanisms to punish and put an end to war crimes such as rape and sexual violence; guarantees for women's rights to property, land and inheritance; measures to ensure women's security and safe return; and guarantees that girls have the same rights as boys to all levels of education. 

In Burundi, women's voices were heard, but obviously not enough, as the conflict is going on with renewed force, lead by male warlords. Meanwhile, Burundian women are left fleeing the country to an uncertain future in Tanzanian refugee camps, where their security neither is provided for, according to new reports.

Source: Based on different UN sources

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