Ending Violence in Eastern Congo
Preparing Men to Advocate for Women's Rights
Washington DC, March 7, 2007 - Women for Women International, a leader in gender-based development in post-conflict countries, will be releasing its most influential publication to date, Ending Violence Against Women in Eastern Congo: Preparing Men to Advocate for Women’s Rights on Thursday, March 8, 2007, at a panel discussion held at their Washington, DC office. Dr. Patricia T. Morris, Director of Programs for Women for Women International, will present findings from the report. Other speakers include Maria Correia, The World Bank; Neil Irvin, Men Can Stop Rape; and Elizabeth Powley, The Initiative for Inclusive Security's Rwanda Project.
The report echoes and expands upon what many in the development field have identified as the “missing link” to women’s rights. Rather than dismissing men as a barrier to gender equity, any effective strategy for empowering women to realize their rights must involve men in the process. In this vein and building upon a model piloted in Women for Women International’s Nigeria and Iraq offices, the organization launched a Men’s Leadership Program in January 2005 in an eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Set in the context of the deadliest war in documented African history, the findings of this report come at a critical juncture in the reconstruction process. An estimated 3.3 million people have died as a result of the conflict since 1998, and tens of thousands of women have been raped.
Founded by Zainab Salbi in 1993, Women for Women International works in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda and Sudan. 30,000 women access its programs every day, benefiting 5.3 million family and community members. Women for Women International has distributed more than $32 million in direct aid and microcredit loans to women survivors of war in post-conflict countries.
Christine Karumba, Country Director of Women for Women International — DRC, Dr. Patricia T. Morris, Director of Programs for Women for Women International, and Zainab Salbi, Founder and CEO of Women for Women International are available for interviews.
