Eoin Young / MONUC
On Wednesday 1 April 2009, Nicola Dahrendorf, the UN Special Advisor on sexual violence in the DRC, presented the overall strategy dcoument in the fight against sexual violence in the DRC to the Congolese government and national and international partners. In an interview, she explained to us the objectives and main components of the strategy.
Interview
Can you explain the comprehensive strategy on sexual violence in the DRC?
There was a need for a comprehensive strategy to combat sexual violence in the DRC, and after a long 10 month consultation process with a whole range of actors, including UN agencies, MONUC, the government, international and national Non Governmental Agencies (NGOs), the DRC Armed Forces, the Congolese Police and MONUC military, we came up with this strategy document, which addressed what needed to be done in the fight against sexual violence.
The objective is to bring together all the existing initiatives on sexual violence and to find a way of creating a better platform for common action, in a much more organized and focused way, locally, provincially and nationally. This also applies to donors in terms of where they could channel their funds.
The objective of the strategy is to find and define four different components, and a plan of action for each in how we could move forward better.
What are the four components of the strategy?
The first component tackles the issue of impunity, which was not being addressed in the DRC. So we put together a contact note and plan of action that would link in with existing judicial reform mechanisms, both within the government and also within the UN agencies, so that everyone took on board what needed to be done.
Concretely we propose to recruit more female judges, more female magistrates, train lawyers better and overall to ensure that the law that exists on sexual violence is properly implemented. There's a good law here in the DRC, but there is no policy and the law is not being implemented.
The second component relates to the security forces, security sector reform and sexual violence. A lot of sexual violence against women and children is perpetrated by men in uniform, including government security forces and armed groups. There needs to be better training and accountability for the security forces.
In addition, more attention needs to be paid to female ex combatants. Most importantly we need to introduce a vetting mechanism for security forces recruitment, and we are working on that very closely with the European Union and with our colleagues in Human Rights.
The third component deals with protection and prevention. Sexual violence needs to be at the heart of MONUC's mandate to protect civilians. We've come up with a plan of action that links in with the existing work on protection of civilians, and also the humanitarian agencies within the national protection cluster.
The fourth component is that of multi sector assistance. This involves improving victim's access to healthcare, psycho-social support, and the reintegration of victims back into their communities, as victims are often stigmatized.
In this integrated framework, who will lead the way in each component of the strategy?
The human rights impunity component will be led by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, which in the DRC is the joint Human Rights office based in MONUC. The security sector reform aspect will be led by the MONUC Security Sector Reform unit, but there's also an inter-agency, inter-governmental working group that initially need to bring this on board, yet those discussions have not been concluded.
In terms of protection and prevention the UNHCR are the lead. In terms of multi sector assistance it will be the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), although these discussions are not yet concluded. UNICEF already has a very big programme, so the idea is to build on what is there already, and not reinvent the wheel.
How can these components be practically implemented and with what means?
We put together a plan of action under each component and defined key activities and steps that need to be taken, as well as indicators and key actors that are going to be involved.
Each entity needs to work together with the government; this exists already but we have now put it in a framework, to implement the plan of action with the government along defined timelines, indicators and outcomes. The idea is that donors will channel their funds through this process as well.
Do you think that this strategy will bring about real change to the problem of sexual violence in the DRC, when many other previous initiatives have failed to do so?
It's the first time ever where, in a post conflict country, there is a framework and plan of action to address this issue and to emphasize that it's not just a gender issue, but a human rights, political and security issue. UN Security Council resolution 1820 was groundbreaking because it was the first time that the problem of sexual violence was recognized as a threat to peace and security.
This strategy is not the bible, but a living document that people are supposed to be working with, changing, adopting and prioritizing depending on the situation on the ground. There is now a basis to move forward to tackle the problem. I represent 12 UN agencies in the UN action on sexual violence in conflict. This is important because no one action or agency can tackle the issue alone.
What will be the contribution of humanitarian NGOs in the propagation of this strategy?
I found very quickly that the real activities and work on the ground was being done by international and national NGOs, and these implementing partners were really making a difference. Hopefully we can harness their efforts so that they can continue. The UN agencies are there to provide policy, guidance, strategic support and funding, but the NGOs are implementing the strategy on the ground.
You're at the end of your mission, and as UN Special Advisor on sexual violence in the DRC, what positives can you give us in the fight?
It's the first time ever that the government is resolutely on board and wants to do something. I think there is more awareness of the issue and more dialogue, and this means that some of the taboos have gone. They have not disappeared completely but the door has been opened.
There's far more awareness and knowledge on the part of women, they know that they have a right and that the state has an obligation to them, and that they have to remind the state of its responsibilities to protect them.
I think we need to beyond rhetoric and have action. You've got to have political will on the part of the government at every level. This has got to touch the community leaders and traditional leaders, to allow people to be self sustaining; to stop victims from being stigmatized and ostracized from their communities; to ensure that kids receive proper treatment after rape, proper reintegration and skills training; to ensure that victims who want to take cases to court have proper support and free legal aid: and to have reparations for victims.