Downtown Kampala
Media Release: 1st October 2010
For immediate release
British women march in Democratic Republic of Congo in solidarity with Congolese women, issue call for end to violence
A Million Women Rise delegation of British women is to attend the Third International Action of the World March of Women in Bukavu (province of South Kivu) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of a global action to campaign for an end to violence against women.
The global action, from 14th -17th October 2010, involves women from 48 countries travelling to the DRC to express concrete solidarity with Congolese women and all women struggling against poverty and violence. One thousand women from the African Great Lakes Region are also expected to participate in the activities, culminating with a march for peace and ending violence against women on 17th October.
The UK delegation includes the Vice Chair of Rape Crisis (England & Wales), the founder of the Million Women Rise coalition, the UK Vice President of Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) and Congolese activists of COMMON CAUSE UK, the platform of Congolese women in the UK. The action is also supported by the London Feminist Network, Roshni, the Women and Girls Network (WAGN) and the Women’s Resource Centre (WRC) along with female MPs, academics and UK officials.
British women will speak at various planned panel discussions at this international action, protest against the conflict and demonstrate for peace and women’s rights, in addition to attending a memorial to honour Congolese women survivors and victims of violence.
Since current hostilities began in the DRC more than a decade ago, regional and local proxy wars and conflicts over mineral resources have generated one of the world's deadliest crises, with an estimated 5.4 million deaths [UN CS RES 1726, 1794 and IRC Crisis Watch]. The eastern part of the DRC has been particularly affected by war and has been labelled “rape capital of the world”, with more than 250,000 cases of reported rapes, nearly one million estimated unreported cases and 93% women reported to be living with domestic violence [COMMON CAUSE UK/DRC report 2009].
In 2010, the United Nations Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) completed 10 years of presence in the region. However, institutional and security fragility persists and multinational companies are benefiting from exploitation of natural resources, fuelling the conflict while breaching Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines without sanctions from UN Security Council permanent members, including the UK. [UN CS RES 1726, 1794 and Global Witness report].
Jane Gregory of Bradford Rape Crisis said: “Through the third international action of the World March of Women we are united as British women with our Congolese sisters in concern that our mobile phones, iPods, iPads and laptops are funding oppressive regimes and fuelling armed conflicts, human insecurity and rapes in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, while creating millions of internally as well as externally displaced populations, some of whom are refugees in the UK.”
Sabrina Qureshi of Million Women Rise said: “We are determined to show our solidarity with women of Congo and draw attention to one of the world’s worst crimes against humanity through women’s bodies and minds.”
-- Ends --
For further information or to request interviews with the women travelling to the DRC please contact Sarah Brown – Sarahbrown@wrc.org.uk or call her on +44 (0) 207 324 3040, or alternatively Ms Gregory at Janewriteme@yahoo.co.uk or phone +44 (0)7931 934 422, and Ms Faray on mfaray@hotmail.com or phone +44 (0)7939 822 625.
Note:
Million Women Rise Coalition is a diverse group of individual women and women representatives from the voluntary and community sector united by outrage at the continued daily, hourly, minute-by-minute individual and institutionalised violence enacted against women worldwide. MWR believes that every woman and child has a right to live free from violence and that ongoing violence devastates not only the lives of the individuals directly affected but also the communities of which they are part.
The coalition has no formal or informal links to specific political networks. The coalition is non-partisan and brings together women who wish to highlight the continuation of all forms of violence against women and demand that action is taken.
For immediate release
British women march in Democratic Republic of Congo in solidarity with Congolese women, issue call for end to violence
A Million Women Rise delegation of British women is to attend the Third International Action of the World March of Women in Bukavu (province of South Kivu) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of a global action to campaign for an end to violence against women.
The global action, from 14th -17th October 2010, involves women from 48 countries travelling to the DRC to express concrete solidarity with Congolese women and all women struggling against poverty and violence. One thousand women from the African Great Lakes Region are also expected to participate in the activities, culminating with a march for peace and ending violence against women on 17th October.
The UK delegation includes the Vice Chair of Rape Crisis (England & Wales), the founder of the Million Women Rise coalition, the UK Vice President of Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) and Congolese activists of COMMON CAUSE UK, the platform of Congolese women in the UK. The action is also supported by the London Feminist Network, Roshni, the Women and Girls Network (WAGN) and the Women’s Resource Centre (WRC) along with female MPs, academics and UK officials.
British women will speak at various planned panel discussions at this international action, protest against the conflict and demonstrate for peace and women’s rights, in addition to attending a memorial to honour Congolese women survivors and victims of violence.
Since current hostilities began in the DRC more than a decade ago, regional and local proxy wars and conflicts over mineral resources have generated one of the world's deadliest crises, with an estimated 5.4 million deaths [UN CS RES 1726, 1794 and IRC Crisis Watch]. The eastern part of the DRC has been particularly affected by war and has been labelled “rape capital of the world”, with more than 250,000 cases of reported rapes, nearly one million estimated unreported cases and 93% women reported to be living with domestic violence [COMMON CAUSE UK/DRC report 2009].
In 2010, the United Nations Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) completed 10 years of presence in the region. However, institutional and security fragility persists and multinational companies are benefiting from exploitation of natural resources, fuelling the conflict while breaching Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines without sanctions from UN Security Council permanent members, including the UK. [UN CS RES 1726, 1794 and Global Witness report].
Jane Gregory of Bradford Rape Crisis said: “Through the third international action of the World March of Women we are united as British women with our Congolese sisters in concern that our mobile phones, iPods, iPads and laptops are funding oppressive regimes and fuelling armed conflicts, human insecurity and rapes in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, while creating millions of internally as well as externally displaced populations, some of whom are refugees in the UK.”
Sabrina Qureshi of Million Women Rise said: “We are determined to show our solidarity with women of Congo and draw attention to one of the world’s worst crimes against humanity through women’s bodies and minds.”
-- Ends --
For further information or to request interviews with the women travelling to the DRC please contact Sarah Brown – Sarahbrown@wrc.org.uk or call her on +44 (0) 207 324 3040, or alternatively Ms Gregory at Janewriteme@yahoo.co.uk or phone +44 (0)7931 934 422, and Ms Faray on mfaray@hotmail.com or phone +44 (0)7939 822 625.
Note:
Million Women Rise Coalition is a diverse group of individual women and women representatives from the voluntary and community sector united by outrage at the continued daily, hourly, minute-by-minute individual and institutionalised violence enacted against women worldwide. MWR believes that every woman and child has a right to live free from violence and that ongoing violence devastates not only the lives of the individuals directly affected but also the communities of which they are part.
The coalition has no formal or informal links to specific political networks. The coalition is non-partisan and brings together women who wish to highlight the continuation of all forms of violence against women and demand that action is taken.
