Sexual violence is no longer necessarily used as a weapon of war in the DRC, says UN official Pramila Patten. Photo : MONUSCO/Myriam Asmani
Kinshasa, November 28, 2019 --- The Special Representative of the Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, believes that sexual violence is no longer necessarily used as a weapon of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Pramila Patten arrived in Kinshasa on November 28 as part of an official visit. She will also travel to Goma and Beni in eastern DRC.
Upon her arrival, she had a working session with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the DRC, Leila Zerrougui. The latter updated her on the overall situation of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, highlighting the complexity, the challenges and the progress made with regard to the fight against sexual violence in the DRC.
"This is a picture that will help me to better engage with the government officials I will meet during the week," said Pramila Patten.
In view of this picture, Pramila Patten said sexual violence is no longer necessarily used as a weapon of war in the DRC, despite the increase on the number of cases of violence between 2018-2019, she said.
"Sexual violence is no longer sponsored by the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) as it was the case in the past," she said, welcoming the effort made by the army in the fight against impunity.
According to her, DRC remains a good example of the fight against impunity among the 11 African countries known as having a high rate of sexual violence cases. She congratulated the DRC for the emblematic cases with the court decisions indicting military officers by DRC military courts with a view to preventing sexual violence.
Pramila Patten also applauded the important work done by MONUSCO, which contributed to the result achieved to date by FARDC in the fight against sexual violence. She also welcomed the contribution made by the Congolese civil society organizations engaged in the fight against sexual violence.
Through their work, the victims of sexual violence have managed to break the silence, and sexual violence is no longer a taboo following the sensitization campaigns held by civil society organizations throughout the DRC, she said.7