SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN THE DRC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000156

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR H
USAID/DCHA/DG L. FEINBERG, D. LOCKETT, C. SAVINO
USAID/GH/HIDN/MCH M. STANTON
USAID/DCHA/OTI L. WERCHICK
USAID/DCHA/OTI M. PRATT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KPAO KWMN KCRM CG
SUBJECT: SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN THE DRC

REF: 2004 KINSHASA 2020


1. (U) Summary: A number of donors, including the USG, have
been working actively to combat sexual violence in eastern
DRC since 2001. The USG has assisted over 13,000 victims and
dedicated over $5.8 million dollars to help combat
gender-based violence. End Summary.

USG Efforts
--------------


2. (U) USAID addresses immediate and longer-term needs of
survivors of sexual violence, their families, and their
communities in areas of eastern Congo that have been most
affected by armed conflict. In January 2004, USAID conducted
an assessment mission, published an extensive report entitled
'Sexual Terrorism: Rape as a Weapon of War in Eastern DRC,'
and developed a broad gender-based violence strategy. USAID
provides funding to experienced international organizations
which work with local NGOs, health structures, and community
based organizations to increase their capacity to provide
holistic support to survivors including medical,
psychosocial, protection, and socio-economic reintegration
services, while promoting judicial support and referral when
appropriate.


3. (U) With 2002-2004 funding from Victims of Torture and TIP
($1,788,688 and $470,000 respectively),12 local
organizations, which are mostly headed by survivors, received
about $650,000 in sub-grants. The rest of the funding
provided logistical support, materials in kind, medicines,
training, workshops, information dissemination, coordination
and referral to other services. Since 2002 these activities,
which include post-rape reconstructive surgery at Panzi
Hospital, mobile clinics which respond quickly to reported
incidents of rape, and the first successful prosecutions of
rape cases in eastern DRC have assisted over 13,000
survivors, their families, and their communities.


4. (U) Through an umbrella grant program managed by the
International Rescue Committee in North and South Kivu, a
local NGO called Action for Rights, Education (AED) provides
sexual violence survivors with access to judicial support
services. AED has won 57 of the 60 cases of sexual violence
cases it brought to court over the past year and a half,
including eight convictions against members of the military.
Sentences range between 10 months and 20 years and include
reparations for the victims and their families. AED has also
mediated another 23 cases. As of January 2005, AED has
registered 323 cases. AED received a FY 2004 grant for
$50,000 to continue its efforts and expand services to women
in more areas of South Kivu.

Looking Ahead
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5. (U) For FY04-FY06, USAID/DRC received $2,500,000 from the
Victims of Torture Fund to support around 20 local
organizations and health structures through international
NGOs and $1,000,000 in OFDA funds to provide health services
and training through UNICEF and an international NGO. In
addition, USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives provides
grants to local community-based organizations that also
directly benefit victims. In FY 2004, about $57,700,000 of
USAID's total budget of $119,000,000 for the DRC will
directly benefit areas in eastern DRC. Of that, $2,000,000
will fund programming specifically targeted at addressing the
needs of victims of sexual violence. The funding for the
eastern DRC will also directly or indirectly benefit victims
of sexual violence. The total USAID budget specifically for
gender-based violence from June 2002- September 2006 is
$5,758,688.


6. (U) In the past three years, the Embassy also used its
limited Democracy and Human Rights Funds to support several
local organizations that promote women's rights and support
survivors of sexual violence, including Centre Olame in
Bukavu. As access continues to improve, and with continued
USG funding, we are well-positioned to provide additional
much-needed assistance for the victims of violence in eastern
Congo.

Other Efforts
--------------

7. (U) The European Union, the European Commission, and
European bilateral donors, notably the Belgians and the
Swiss, have also provided significant resources. For example,
in January 2005, Belgium granted 8 million euros over a
three-year period to a $30 million joint initiative by UN
agencies to stop sexual violence in the DRC. In addition, UN
agencies and MONUC have prepared several reports on various
aspects of this wide-scale problem, and MONUC plays an
important role facilitating access for various NGOs.


8. (U) Although the Congolese government has condemned
gender-based violence at the highest levels, it has not taken
much concrete action at this stage. The Justice, Social
Affairs and Women's Affairs ministries have tried to develop
limited programming to combat gender-based violence, but lack
funding, capacity, and expertise. Unfortunately,
well-intentioned activities often do not ensure
confidentiality or protect survivors of violence,

SIPDIS
particularly in a culture in which, historically, women are
considered second-class citizens. In addition, security
concerns, poor medical infrastructure, limited resources (the
budget for a country the size of the USA east of the
Mississippi is only $1 billion),and lack of roads contribute
to the Congolese government's inability to effectively deal
with this problem.

Comment
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9. (U) We are pleased that gender-based violence in the DRC
has received prominent media attention. We hope that
international media interest can be harnessed to help further
the work being done by the USG, other donors, and local and
international NGOs which have been working on this issue for
a number of years.
MEECE