Kisangani, 20 March 2013 – The office of the prosecutor of the high court of Kisangani held two-day reflections, 11 - 12 March 2013, to harmonize the different interventions of the actors involved in the fight against sexual violence in province Orientale. About fifty participants participated in the initiative backed by the Gender and Justice Support Sections of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO).

This meeting was an opportunity not only to recall the role of every partner involved in the fight against sexual violence and gender but also to identify the obstacles preventing the actors to move forward towards the attainment of their goals.

Participants identified impunity as one of the key challenges enjoyed by some perpetrators in districts such as Buta, the administrative capital of the Haut-Uélé. Twelve people prosecuted for rape cases perpetrated between January and May 2012 were released from prison and returned home with impunity. The second sizable obstacle identified was the cultural sluggishness and trivialization of sexual violence. The last challenge was about the medical attention given to the victims. According to Dr. Gisele Lowa, provincial coordinator for the reproductive health, of the 3,952 cases identified last year, only one-third received appropriate medical attention, due to lack of support.

The session was officially launched by the provincial minister for home affairs, Hubert Pierre Molisho, in the presence of the chief of MONUSCO/Kisangani, Helder de Barros.

Dorcas Kanku/ Radio Okapi/ MONUSCO