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This is something that you should talk to my dreams. This is the sound of crowd. Science shoot the laser beam at this edges, canister oxygen in the background as a wasp and now the empress, possibly the most disgusting thing this is one of the nicest on facts. You gotta here today the calling of data. What you gonna do that I find out more at the end of this point, cost. One congolese women said actually a very, very powerful thing, as she said witnesses, just stops view and in the field, if you're carrying a food. If your carry money they take. All of these benefits. The sun with you, they take that kid from you. They take your clothes. They take everything from you

and then she said, and in the end, when there's nothing left, they rape you, because women's bodies obscene as a product to be looted. My name is Ruth Hamar, I'm a journalist in my home city of goma, in the democratic public of congo in twenty two in the united nations, described in my country as the rip capital of the world I became aware of sexual violence when I was very young growing up. My mother would warn me to avoid being close to men who were net from my family. If anything happened to me, she said you need to scream, you need to run or you

to hate at school. Our teachers start as what happens in conflict at rebels, rape, women, to cause more chaos, using rape as a weapon, but in the irish sea is just a window onto the extreme and of a global problem. One in three women one I'd have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, according to the world health organization, and indeed the earthy, the roots of sexual violence, and not just in words but in a complex web of social, political, economic and historical dynamic, in peace and justice sexual violence in the earthy on Maybe she want service. I will be spluttering way. These problems persist in the congo are revealed a dramatic effects. This gender violence has on society.

and now be hearing from the women and men in the congo. Fighting for change the women of goma, making a rare public protest against killing an illusion at rate for the young congolese generation, like me, war has been like a constant presence in our lives, quote: unquote, noisy the soldier drove the other children away. These stories of survivors of sexual violence stretched back for decades, really quite a leak. They will love me and I wouldn't want to see you having fun. They have informed the lives of generations of congolese families, my grandmother's my mother's and mine. When I think about it, I cry and we're seeing hearing stories like these. To date, this one- made me sleep with them all night Julian. To think it is the president of super paddy females, solidarity for peace and development.

You're, gonna zation. That has been helping survivors of sexual violence for the last twenty two years. She shared with us an extremely distressing story of the devastation rip causes wage haunting me. So I am going to tell the story of a young woman who had just got married the very next day her new husband opened his shop before going to church it hooper revels arrived in monday, money to good commander began to threaten the man and he ran away into the car I feel myself. The day off his wife was in the house came out to see what was happening. The commander asked if she was the man's wife as if he stripped her and he raped her in the middle of the courtyard in front of everyone, then he asks his militia to repair as well.

At the end of the commander, told woman to say, thank you to refuse to do so. He took his weak and bitter a whole village. Blind The woman in those showed her because she was disappointed in front of the village and pressure to her husband to abandon her, which he did but omen fled into the forest. We still don't know where she is see how someone's life can be destroyed in no time at all, ended. Louise Marty is an analysed and advocacy manager for the nonprofit, midsummer, Sophia, msf or doctors without borders in the day I see in the last three years retreated close to thirty thousand patients for sexual violence. Last year it was mounts nine thousand five hundred so more than one.

Ninety seven percent of the patients are women and girls and twenty seven percent on minors is simple to highlight, though, that this number is only represent. Those will accept our care in twenty twenty one. I must have data showed that sixty percent of these crimes were committed by armed groups. An armed men Doktor bilge machine is a research associate at source university of london she's the author of the book, sexual violence crime. Engendered power relations bringing justice to women in the democratic republic of congo there. So many armed groups in the in the eastern, the icy there more than one hundred twenty Unfortunately, we are seeing congolese army committing sexual violence crimes which they were supposed to be the protector of the populations of the civilians. Their bread in the context of war is not just confined.

To the borders of the DRC. Sexual violence is not a unique abnormal situation that exclusive to the democratic republic of the congo, although we call it as direct capital of the hurled but these crimes are actually as old as war itself, and we can find them everywhere in the world. Has I was a predominant methods of welfare for russians, forces, doktor Severin color, which is an institution gynecologists who has run missions for the embassies, have, for the last ten years in ukraine, reports of rapes of women of seventy years old of men of sixty five years old to our being raped. This is not something that occurs regularly in the system.

that is functioning well. History shows that when was that women's bodies are quickly put on the front line from the lebanese civil war to Japan's comfort women during the second world war, the rape of bosnian muslims in the former yugoslavia to the ongoing conflict in the two great provision of ethiopia. Despite a? U, when security resolution in two thousand and eight making rape and other forms of sexual violence as a war crime, it can he is so why does it keep happening? Doktor biogas cheyenne has been researching the roots of violence against women in the democracy. I can say this three things: sexual lines, crimes as a weapon of war, militarized masculinity S and fulfilling,

Actual need male sexual needs as reasons for sexual violence crimes the first one that talks about sexual violence, crimes and conflict as a weapon of war. Women's bodies actually become a battleground, that's different armed groups because they want to destroy or attack that society they actually attack that symbol of society. The second thing I think, quite it also important, is militarized. Masculinity is here in armed groups, men learned that their bodies are weapons and can be used as instruments to impose their will. So we can see that the violence in eastern zaire see people to the already existing crisis of masculinity must have they make writings or international organizations. Reports mainly take the first explanation: sexual violence as a weapon of war When I was talking with congolese women, they said that men,

leave. That's when they have a sexual needs. They they have a natural right to fulfil that need right away- and this is my actually, this is happening because now they have the guns, and now they have the power for making at whatever they want a main sexuality, as always seen as natural more more and there is now talk about female sexuality and solo camp in the democratic republic of Congo? william hague and Angelina Jolie. A special envoy for the united nations have come to the shelter for thousands of families forced from their homes by war. To hear about the shockingly commonplace use of rape in warfare years into the car, the international community studied to take notice.

two thousand and nine, the then united states secretary of state, Hillary Clinton came to the democracy to denounce the epidemic of sexual and gender based violence against women as crimes against humanity, international ngos with big budgets flooding, and they still remain. The earthy and rape became almost synonymous some see these has pushed I've ever difficult issues off the agenda. Msf has been working in the earthy for forty five years. I asked theories murky if these narrative of rape as a weapon of war hampers amiss. Have what I would say it hampers general funding for survivors, because if you say so, Sexual violence ways conflict than who denies happening s where you denies a bigger problem than this, because Surveillance isn't only happening in conflict areas in the DRC. It is a much wider problem.

In twenty twenty one, forty percent of the victims that we received, where assaulted by non armed men, this show that sexual violence is also committed by civilians and is not only a coat of arms actors. And our men in a last year, close to thirty percent of the patients we received were assaulted by their intimate partners. According to the cache, to understand gender relations in the early today, we have to go back to the europe of belgian colonial rule before calling Some women who are mainly responsible for agriculture and food production, while men hunters and they were charged with rare in cattle and other domestic animals. Women's responsibilities give them important rights in citys, but all that change it colonization. The belgians, refuse to trade with women. Giving me

all the economic power they paid. The family allowance to men. Men also become responsible for the behaviour of their family members and had the power to punish them. We can also see that for my legal regulations- further contributed to controlling gender roles during colonial times, husband's permission was still needed to work, get a passport or open a bank account, and unfortunately, these regulated and repeated gender norms continued after independence Congolese attitudes to male and female relationships are still affected by these colonial rules. It's something blocker safari is fighting to change who dvd programmable at the beginning of the programme

most of the men? Could you do women to be feared to them be local works for the anti terror fund and he hopes to run projects that aim to transform means ideas about masculinity enough. Given the fund programmes challenge ideas about women using religious teachings and texts. It is a model that telephone has found successful in a country. That is ninety five percent question. The donkeys is beloved. was there have been socialized since childhood women across The two belong to men, and this result from the father men have over women and as such, men canoes and do often use these powers to use women as things as objects of satisfaction, including sexual satisfaction, and this is also a visible and real too in various homes- don Your listening to peace and justice, sexual violence,

Indeed, the earthy, with meat, ruth amar on the BBC world service years of sexual violence have had a deep effect on some part of the congolese society activist julie, Andrews singing. Will air live your life with sexual violence is like a spider's web. It affects all members of the community. Violence humiliates the community. It undermines women and children, and the men of the community to impose PA and so on.

These crimes are committed in our communities. It destroys the social fabric. For me, the very useful societies being destroyed their girls even three year olds, infants whose ones have been torn out and they can never give birth. So sexual violence destroys congolese society. It destroys our nation three nothin. That's your midst on some points here, talks about the double punishment of wrap in the democracy, as well as the psychological and physical chum. The survivors go through their often abandoned by the family and community when they need them most, some resort to prostitution to survive. Louise marquis, what's their local organizations, survive is telling us is that's it. Being so widespread that even victims, normalizing, the issue. I remit

We had a case in central aside where we received a teenager that just have been rates and when she went home her mother yelled at tat because She had a close ruin really shows how people have normalize to survive. Lovely by demanded nobleman diesel post members of our communities are traumatized by these crimes with sexual violence. So experience every game on what these stories that we hear about his activist, we listen to them every day we are traumatized and their trauma ties. Person does not have the capacity to develop not by us not have them.

asked to think about their future. I love nia in the long term. What does justice look like for survivors that the Severin collaborate again? There is indeed severe lack of justice for the victims or survivors of sexual violence in the democratic republic of the congo, of all the women raped less than one percent goes to court also because they are afraid to go to court, especially if the perpetrator is known to them. It is difficult to bring a soldier to court when you're a raped woman, and also you still suffer the shame and humiliation connected to the rape. Natalie kumbaya is the head of from men dilemma

The development of a say are f an empty key. Earlier this year she opened a legal clinic to hops. Vapours gets legal justice, nor have all we receive many survivors of sexual and gender based violence, and all this survivors need reparations, survive, not only expressed the need to have access to justice, for they have they have suffered they also want to benefit from free legal services. Most of us drivers are destitute and vulnerable people at our legal clinic because support a for free, only because our lawyers are voluntary in their time pro bono for no charge, however, for many legal justice alone does not go far enough. That can be august. I hang I was talking with one of the participants and focus group, and she set her. Perpetrator is actually called

I don't think that justice happened to me? I don't think that I get the justice because, yes, he is. In the jail, but by what did I do I didn't get anything. I didn't get any money. So again we can see, some of the women define justice as actually being able to continue their life being able to rebuild that life being able to survive to find a way to live. fancy it found dish and created by the twenty eight ten nobel peace prize winner, doktor, Dennis mcnerney. They are trying to help women rebuild that economic and emotional lives for pansy. A direct line can be drawn from the exploitation of minerals by armed militias to the use of rape to terrorize and control communities. So it has created a special german making project for survivors of sexual violence to reverse the relationship between minerals and women.

nicole, but to make it is agenda and responsible sourcing specialist at pansy. The link that we can now make between conflict, minerals and sexual violence is becoming clearer and clearer, and we are supporting the survivors, socio economic integration. I think that the thing The jewelry predict is that there is also a sight of it. That's very therapeutic because they use. hands and they transformed things and then they see the results, and it's something you know from nothing, and this is why, for us, to reverse that relationship with a project we are supporting women to become treaties. To become geologists to become jewellers was very important because we want them to be included first of all in this sector, that's very masculine and where he can observe huge gender labour gaps during the months of look down caused by covet nineteen local.

Two bits reported a rise in sexual violence. It follows a global trained during the pandemic Y, all types of violence against women and girls intensified activists organizations to fit paddy It's been raising awareness of domestic abuse using social media and the radio, but the cultural and institutional change is key, says it's co founder and president. She learned of the singer. So if anybody could provide training for customary chiefs between police officers judges and much streets, one uni hired so that they understand the language of women so that they understand the interpretation of the law. We do this so that justice can be done. Go ledges deserve it in July this year, there were protests in the drc against. When you a peacekeeping arm of the lady nations, produced as blamed the tent.

To your odd you and mission for failing to stop decades of attacks and also coming in crimes, some of them, surveillance when you got there The special representative cassim dealing in the series of tweets rhetoric. one is cause goal of protecting civilians while saying it's never claimed to be the panacea to the earthy security problems for some campaigners and see it to sexual violence. Crimes will only come with systemic political and social change. The roots of sexual violence, ie, the lack of security. This is a spangler key esquire is a member of a social movement called lucia. It means struggle for change or fight for change. We think that the biggest problem of our country ie, the luck of Billy, tee of leaders and the lack of people citizen who are more demanding toward leaders.

And we are using nonviolence methods to our rights and to do so, Our disagreement and to give our opinion we were born in war, grow up environments we decided we may have. I gave the same country to the next generation, specially on security and on governance, and we choose the method that have never been twite in our country nonviolence methods once we use violence will be losers. We'll never win cause violence. People never when we are there to give in are tentative and to give hope Gillian was thinking, it would overlap and evoke a companion to a multinational Have peace with multinational companies must stop using armed groups to steal our resources involving the neighboring,

trees of the deep sea must stop. Working with many issues will be a support for malicious, so peace, character or international powers be the key united states european union or the african union must be able to walk since standing with the congolese. One not dead leaves were human beings and we have the right to be protected. Quanta, viable, lapping, president Felix just a kid you took over from Joseph Kabila in twenty nineteen. Despite many promises before he came into office, not much has changed, but our journey to be. inequality in the democracy requires all of us, men and women to work together. Attitudes, what women have to change and projects like the one below a fiery, runs to change ideas. Around masculinity have a vital role to play a lotta people come of the aim of the programme

men see women as equals, also created in the image like likeness of got their attitudes change. as the understand the meaning of justice engender. For example, some I have taken the decision to have of their personal in decision making in the family. Working on this. comes check, my opinion of women. This led me to begin the process towards changing behaviors and attitudes, and now I know that you shouldn't hurts women. I recognize them was equal so myself with some potential there sure under some writers me, and that makes me a great ally of women contact. The telephone women's activists Natalie, by it all see bugger gaunt only party got today. We must fight against agreed. practices. Retrograde practices of customs on cultural constraints

which do not allow women to flourish, but thank god, The work that women's ngos carry out in the field of awareness raising and advocacy. Today, women, young girls, enable men are starting to come out of hiding their stuff into file complaints and have the courage to go to court, They cannot continue to be victims of marginalization. another social injustices, and we will fight We'll be stand in for all vulnerable people who need help. We will Take them on all levels, especially when it comes to reclaim their rights lucky. I believe, that's your beloved. While it is true that we were born raised in war, but the more the years go by the more

realized that things are changing not as fast as we would like, but these small change, which may seem insignificant, is a big step towards peace and stability, country campaigners continue to fight for justice for survivors dennis yacu. The first lady is pushing set up a national fund to give reparations. To sexual violence. Survivors and the low to protect them is being drafted. meaning that the irish sea and in the world have understood that they have rights and these rights can that be violated. We need the contribution of men to many of us have been info, waste by cultural and religious numbs and at some point they have been used against women to destroy their lives, but in the end, what we need in the congo is peace

We need the governments that considers the interests of the people and is accountable and governments that cares about the development of the country, the efforts of the congolese people united. Despite our ethnic and religious differences. Only then will we have peace.

Lifelong campaigner against sexual violence, Julian listing you won't watch it. You just have hope. I still have hope the you or the countries have also gone through difficult times and made commitment to bring about change before the congo is for more than thirty years that women have been raped, children are raped and killed or slaughtered. Talk of resolutions has no effect as long as this diplomatic language hides the real perpetrators. As long as there is no justice for the congo. As long as there is no goodwill to stop a rock for peace, we will continue to country women, and I.

If that is a shame for humanity to allow one to pull humanity, peace and justice. Sexual violence in the drc was presented by me, Ruth omar and produced by jill a cheney cool. It was a whistle down production for the BBC world service. Thank you for listening. There will be word from the document she podcast soon, the documentary is just one of our podcast. There are many others too cheese from wire Very, very still, you haven't machine around you and you are completely done with contributing to science.

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