90% of victims of conflict-related sexual abuse in DRC are women and girls
New York, US (PANA) - Independent UN experts on Monday expressed grave concern over the scale of conflict-related sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with 94 per cent of victims being women and girls.
The experts from the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) said they were alarmed by the ongoing conflict in the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu and by the persistence of conflict-related sexual violence, which for decades has become a "horrifying feature" of the conflict in the region.
According to the Committee, conflict-related sexual violence is often used as a weapon of war, particularly by non-State armed groups, but also by the Congolese armed forces and police forces.
In its concluding observations and conclusions, the Committee notes that conflict-related sexual violence takes place in different contexts, such as military operations, humanitarian settings, including camps and displacement, or during daily tasks.
In eastern DRC, the advance of M23 rebels has also led to a "new increase in conflict-related sexual violence".
The report notably returned to the rape of 165 female prisoners during an escape from Muzenze prison by male prisoners, the majority of whom were subsequently killed in a fire, the circumstances of which are still unclear.
More broadly, this violence, often used as a weapon of war, is rooted "in patriarchy and sexist stereotypes, to punish rival groups and inspire fear in civilians".
These violences include rape, gang rape, mass rape, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy, child marriage, forced marriage and forced prostitution.
"All of these acts would often constitute violations of humanitarian and human rights law and would often amount to international crimes, including war crimes and crimes against humanity."
The Committee urged the State party to adopt a comprehensive strategy to eliminate sexual violence and requested it to work with international partners to prevent and punish conflict-related sexual violence.
UN News said for the first time, the Committee also made recommendations to the international community in its concluding observations, including supporting a peaceful resolution of the conflict, ensuring accountability for perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence, and providing financial and technical support to protect women and girls from conflict-related sexual violence.
The report notes the existence of more than 200 armed groups across the DRC, including more than 100 in the east of the country alone, which commit numerous human rights violations, in addition to conflict-related sexual violence.
These include murders and massacres, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and acts of torture, which often amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes.
“In several cases, these violations were also committed by State actors,” the CEDAW independent experts stressed.
-0- PANA MA 25Feb2025
