We live in a world where hundreds of thousands of women and girls are trafficked within and across borders each year, sexual exploitation runs rampant, and 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not outlawed.
In this same world, rebel groups, such as Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army, continue to abduct children into their fighting forces. Growing their numbers while, in turn, destroying families and communities. Beyond, this steals away the potential of a country’s future generation, halting development as well as educational and economic progress.
Women and children are repeatedly marked as some the most vulnerable people within societies. According to the Half the Sky Movement, 48 women were raped every hour for the past 15 years during DR Congo’s civil war. The women pictured above are Ugandan, empowered to help with reintegration efforts in their community during a meeting with Invisible Children’s Family Tracing assistant.
But progress to combat these harrowing statistics is being made in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Recent reports announced the appointment of Jeannine Mabunda Lioko Mudiayi as the presidential advisor on conflict-related sexual violence and child recruitment in DRC.
The following article was a contribution on www.allAfrica.com from the United Nations News Service. Many countries across the world have a less than impressive track record when it comes to advocating for the rights of women and children, and especially young girls. These recent developments are a poignant reminder of the steps that governments are beginning to take to ensure that the safety and security of youth becomes an increasingly relevant priority.
This stands not only as positive motion for raising awareness, but also offers a concrete step towards tackling two major problems in war-affected communities in central Africa. It marks a “new dawn,” as senior United Nations officials said, for improving the conditions for women and children in DRC.
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The appointment of a presidential adviser on conflict-related sexual violence and child recruitment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) marks “a new dawn” in tackling these scourges, senior United Nations officials said today.
The appointment of Jeannine Mabunda Lioko Mudiayi is a demonstration of President Joseph Kabila’s personal commitment to the fight against conflict-related sexual violence and recruitment and use of children in the DRC,” said Zainab Hawa Bangura and Leila Zerrougui, the Secretary-General’s Special Representatives on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Children and Armed Conflict, respectively.
“It comes at a crucial moment when the Government of DRC is moving forward and asserting greater ownership in the fight to end conflict-related sexual violence and the recruitment and use of children in its armed forces,” they added in a joint statement.
The envoys pledged their full support and collaboration with the new appointee and called on civil society, service providers, non-governmental organizations and UN partners to rally behind her to ensure that her work is successful.
Last month, Ms. Bangura noted that the DRC – described by her predecessor as “the rape capital of the world” – has shown commitment at the highest level to end sexual violence, including by signing a joint communiqué with the UN. It is also developing new legal structures to end impunity for perpetrators.
Meanwhile, the latest report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict noted that the UN has documented 910 children (783 boys and 127 girls), who had been newly recruited and used by armed groups.
Almost half of the children were reportedly used as combatants, but children were also used as porters, cooks, informants and in other support roles. Most of the girls were subjected to sexual slavery.
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