Central Africa - News

A top United Nations official has voiced her concern about the latest wave of fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), especially in areas that have previously witnessed sexual violence committed against civilians by members of armed groups.

This past March was designated women's month in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In order to close it out on a high note, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams in DRC did something a little unusual. Along with Médecins du Monde and the Réseau National Des Organisations d'Assise Communautaires des PVV (the RNOAC, a national network of community-based organizations that assists people with HIV/AIDS), they organized a fashion show on March 30 that featured 12 women living with HIV/AIDS. The goal was threefold: to fight discrimination against people living with HIV, to alert the public to the tragic lack of access to treatment in the country, and to show what is possible when treatment is made available.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become infamous in recent years as the “rape capital of the world,” known for its alarmingly high rates of sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) in its eastern region. I know it for the Congolese women and men with whom I work every day, guided by the hope that social and behavior change communication methodologies can contribute to the reduction of GBV in this conflict-affected country.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become infamous in recent years as the “rape capital of the world,” known for its alarmingly high rates of sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) in its eastern region. I know it for the Congolese women and men with whom I work every day, guided by the hope that social and behavior change communication methodologies can contribute to the reduction of GBV in this conflict-affected country.

A group of 77 police officers, 70 of them women, were yesterday commissioned after completing a three-month Police basic training at Police Training School in Gishari, Rwamagana District.

On 22nd March 2012, CBM, the overseas disability charity, will be running a UK wide awareness campaign about their work in the treatment and rehabilitation of women who have/have had Obstetric Fistula. The campaign aims to bring this "woman's issue" to the fore.

Today, Trial Chamber I issued the first ever trial judgement of the International Criminal Court (ICC), in the case against Thomas Lubanga Dyilo (Lubanga). This is the first time a Trial Chamber of the ICC has issued a judgement on the guilt or innocence of the accused. The Trial Chamber convicted Lubanga of the war crimes of conscripting and enlisting children under the age of 15 and using them to participate actively in hostilities from 1 September 2002 to 13 August 2003. The case involved two stays of proceedings, an adjournment, 67 witnesses and the participation of 129 victims.

Women in Burundi have won radical changes to the country's Penal Code, making rape punishable by life imprisonment. The taboo of speaking out against sexual violence has been broken and the lives of some women - and men - are beginning to change forever, says Lyduine Ruronona

The effects of civil strife on the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the attendant sexual violations cannot be gainsaid.

According to the Global Fund, war and militarism have a profound impact on women inside and outside of conflict situations. Sexual violence, intimidation and wife battery are just a few of the problems that women all over the world have to live with almost on a daily basis.