Originally issued as a CGS press release on March 9, 2008.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This Saturday, March 8, is International Women’s Day, a day commemorated at the United Nations and designated in many countries as a major national holiday.
Citizens for Global Solutions wants to take this opportunity to applaud the thousands of events, ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking opportunities to local women’s craft markets, theatric performances and fashion parades taking place to celebrate and advance the status of women throughout the world.
As we approach International Women’s Day, Citizens for Global Solutions wants to call to the public mind that since the devastating conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1998, tens of thousands of women have been brutally raped with impunity as a calculated strategy to destabilize opposition groups, undermine community values and secure political control.
“The government of the DRC must end the impunity that exists for rapists and seek to increase public awareness of widespread rape as a war crime,” said Raj Purohit, Interim Director and Senior Fellow.
“Our belief is that if they start acknowledging that the use of rape as a weapon is a war crime, it may change public perceptions,” he continued. “Ordinary citizens may realize that they need to oppose this much more aggressively. The government needs to make clear that this is not a private matter; rape is always a public concern and when it is used as a weapon of war it will be punished by prosecuting those responsible for war crimes.”
Rapes of girls as young as three and women over 70 have been reported in the DRC and few have access to adequate medical treatment for serious physical injuries. Up to 30 percent of patients tested in the eastern part of the country are HIV positive and raped women develop psychological problems from living with widespread social discrimination. There has been no systematic government effort to offer raped women appropriate reintegration support.
International Women’s Day recognizes and celebrates the role of women in our world and provides an especially good opportunity to express our commitment to protect the women of DRC against widespread sexual violence.
