ANALYSIS: You Get What You Pay For, DRC (Part of the 16 Day Campaign)

Source: 
Melissa Jaworowski, PeaceWomen
Duration: 
Sunday, October 31, 2010 - 20:00
Countries: 
Africa
Central Africa
Congo (Kinshasa)
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
Initiative Type: 
Campaigns,Online Dialogues & Blogs

What could be done with the approximate $140 Million spent on military expenditures every year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo….

The cost of a forensic rape exam is $800: you could buy 175,000 rape kits. The evidence gathered with these rape kits, if properly taken care of, could lead to an end of impunity in the DRC.

With the money spent on militarization expenditures you can demobilize 243, 603 people can take part in USAIDS and CONADER's economic reintegration programme which includes, “three components of the reintegration programme: the repair of infrastructure, training for employment and income-generating activities. Payment of a monetary sum, called a filet de sécurité (security net) to cover initial living expenses after demobilization.[1] However, men were complaining about the slowness of this programme and complained that they risked their lives to turn in their weapons, and in turn the programme was slow in upholding their end of the bargain. These men felt that they only way they could make money and gain respect in their communities would be if they got their guns back.[2] Thus, increasing funding of this programme would help it to be more efficient in helping demobilized and disarmed combatants. Red Cross had a programme in 2009/2010 which did the following to improve the health care situation in the DRC and spent 670,000 CHF (673,000 USD) [3]:

  • A total of 115,000 people were reached through small groups' sensitization campaigns. Among them 85% were pupils. About 100 staff and volunteers were mobilized, trained, equipped and deployed for H2P (Humanitarian Pandemic Preparedness) education and surveillance[4].
  • The DRC National Society increased its prevention, preparedness and response programs in relation to H2P
  • There was an introduction of a safer blood programme with the collection of 5,070 bags of blood in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi.
  • They also provided more than 200 Mt of chlorinated safe drinking water to 100,000 people through 60 chlorination points between October and December 2009[5].
  • National Society constructed or rehabilitated 12 water sources, 41 protected wells and 36 boreholes thus improving sustainable access to safe and clean water to 14,000 households in some 100 communities[6].

If the approx 140 million a year spent on the military all of the above projects could be done 20 times over!!


[3] The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crecent Soicities Annual Report- Democratic Republic of the Congo Appeal No. MAACD001 , 11/05/2010.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.