DR Congo: Stronger Women, Stronger Nations
Oxfam and Women for Women International Host:
6th July, 2010, 7-9pm, at Amnesty International
17-25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA
The DR Congo presents one of the world's deadliest emergencies. Since 1998, over five million people have died. The conflict is characterised by endemic levels of sexual violence. Indeed in just the first nine months of 2009 there were 7,500 reported cases of rape in eastern DR Congo alone. The situation is so extreme that Margot Wallström, the UN's special representative on sexual violence in conflict, has recently called DR Congo "the rape capital of the world."
Women in DR Congo carry the heaviest of burdens. They suffer rape, violence, torture, are forced to flee their homes, and many watch two, four, even seven children die from preventable illnesses. Yet in the midst of all this the women of DR Congo are standing strong, holding families and communities together, and playing a vital role in bringing peace to their country.
Hear from an expert panel discussing the impact of the DR Congo conflict on women and the vital role that women are playing in building a stable country. Panel members will include:
- Christine Karumba - Women for Women International, DR Congo Country Director
- Sam Roddick - Human Rights Activist, recently visited the DR Congo
- Susan Schulman - Human Rights Photo Journalist and winner of this year's Amnesty Media Award
- Judith Wanga - from the BBC 3 documentary "Congo: The World's Most Dangerous Place to be a Woman"
The panel will take questions from the audience.
Tickets are £3 unwaged, £5 waged. To register for a place, please contact khughes@womenforwomen.org with "DR CONGO: Stronger Women, Stronger Nations" as the email subject. Payment can be made at the door.
