Legal Assistance through Refugee Clinics
23 April 2010 - UNHCR - MONUC: Democratic Republic of the Congo - The United Nations (UN) refugee agency (UNHCR) today expressed concern about the lack of justice for the thousands of women who are raped in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) every year, and prevailing impunity for rapists.
New UN figures show 1,244 women had been raped in DRC during the first three months of this year, and the numbers could be much higher because of under-reporting.
More than a third of the recorded cases are in the provinces of North and South Kivu in eastern DRC. The region hosts some 1.4 million internally displaced persons, including 100,000 in camps run by UNHCR.
In many cases women are raped when they venture out of their villages or camps to collect firewood, water and other basic necessities.
UNHCR is taking steps to keep women safe, such as providing fuel-efficient stoves and firewood to women in North Kivu. Since 2008, the UN refugee agency has provided fuel-efficient stoves and firewood to some 4,200 families.
Thanks to UNHCR legal assistance, 145 survivors in South Kivu were able to file complaints in local courts. Most of the cases are still before the courts, but 24 people have been found guilty and sentenced to jail terms of between two and 10 years, and some have also been ordered to pay compensation.
In DRC at least 200,000 cases of sexual violence have been recorded since 1996.
Back in March 2009, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited a hospital for victims of rape in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where he spoke with victims of rape and HIV Aids at the "Heal Africa hospital", an American care center in Goma, the capital of conflict-torn North Kivu province.
The UN chief said in that occasion that the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known as MONUC, would continue to intensify its efforts to improve the protection of women and children, to aid victims and also help Congolese institutions and NGOs to deal with the horrific vice.
Also in August 2009, the United States pledged 17 million dollars to help combat sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was visiting Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu in eastern DRC, where she met with women at the HEAL AFRICA hospital that cares for victims of sexual violence and HIV/AIDS.
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