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"STOP RAPING OUR GREATEST RESOURCE"  COMMITTEE HOSTS BREAKFAST IN PARLIAMENT FOR SENATOR EVE BAZAIBA

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On June 11^th, at 8.30am, a group of approximately 50 influential women and men gathered in the House of Commons to hear senior Parliamentarian and women’s activist from the Democratic Republic of Congo Senator Eve Bazaiba Masudi (Chair of the DRC Senate Socio-Cultural Affairs Committee) speak about the current situation regarding sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Lynne Franks, chairperson of the ‘Stop Raping our Greatest Resource’ V-Day UK committee, welcomed the group of attendees which included Eric Joyce MP, Stephen Carter and Sophia Pickles from the APPG Great Lakes Region of Africa, Zenna Atkins, Chair of OFSTED, Baroness Trish Morris, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Gail Zappa, Sam Roddick, Amanda Ross and Baron Jonathan Mance among others.   

Lynne put the stress and inconvenience of the morning’s tube strike into proportion by reminding everyone of the frightening events taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Those present were reminded that this issue is not someone else’s problem as the electronic appliances used every day in the western world (laptops, mobile phones etc.) are built using ‘conflict minerals’ which fund armed groups in the Congo.   

She introduced Marie-Claire Faray (co-committee member and representative of Common Cause UK and WILPF) who spoke about the need to listen to Congolese women and challenge the dominance of patriarchy.   Marie-Claire then introduced Senator Eve Bazaiba who thanked those who had made it to the meeting and gave them a general introduction to the scale of the problem.   

She spoke about the fact that as well as the Congolese army, there are eight different rebel forces operating in the Congo, each of which use sexual violence as a weapon of war.  It is not unusual to hear of a woman being publicly raped by members of several different militia groups.  The attacks combined with the lasting health problems and the exclusion of some of these women from their families adds up to an incredibly serious situation which many people are ignoring.  Eve emphasised the importance of addressing the root causes of the current situation rather than solely concentrating on dealing with the consequences.  She then presented Lynne Franks with a piece of Congolese artwork to thank V-Day for the work they are doing to raise awareness about the issues. 

The breakfast was a great success as representatives from the media, human rights groups and politics gathered together and began to form plans to actively address the issue.  Action Packs were distributed which explained the many ways in which the breakfast’s attendees can make an impact through fundraising and advocacy.  V-Day UK will be hosting several high-profile events in the coming year to take action for the Congo.

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WOMEN OF INFLUENCE LUNCH

An incredible explosion of energy, commitment and activity happened last week when a group of highly influential British women came together at the bastion of the old establishment, the House of Lords in London, to learn about the horrific situation of the sexual violence against women and girls of the DRC.

This was the first of a series of high-profile events instigated by Eve Ensler across Europe, the women-only lunch included a talk by the Prime Minister’s wife, Sarah Brown; an introduction by Eve to her film of her work with the women of the City of Joy in the Congo and a passionate and inspirational speech by Marie-Claire Faray-Kele, a Congolese activist based in the UK.

Amongst the many high-profile women at the lunch were actress Thandie Newton; activist, actress and producer Trudie Styler;  actress and writer Meera Syal; authors Ruth Rendell and Kathy Lette; top women politicians; broadcasters; business women and activists. All the women were united in working towards a UK and global campaign to create awareness of the situation and put political pressure on governments to ensure it is stopped. As Marie-Claire Faray pointed out, “if it can happen in the Congo, it can happen anywhere and it is time for women of the world to unite in sisterhood and ensure it is stopped.”

The British Committee are now in the process of planning a two-year awareness campaign that will result in international economic and political pressure to prevent this outrage.

Some press for Eve and the V-Day campaign: