Uvira, 11 March 2016 - As part of activities related to this "Women’s Month”, the Public Information Section of MONUSCO-Uvira organized, on Friday 11 March 2016 at the Stade de l’Unité de la Cité, a meeting with several women’s associations and movements.
 
Nearly a hundred women hailing from Uvira and surrounding areas took part in this event, and among them were Jeanne-d'Arc Chakupewa, Head of the Cité of Uvira, and Marie Mithila Ponga , Chief of the Gender Office of the territory. The meeting enabled exchange of experience between female personnel of MONUSCO-Uvira and these local women.  The latter confessed their lack of strategies for women to massively participate in the electoral process and to fight against the abuse and violence they experience on a daily basis in their homes.  And they conceded they were almost totally unaware of their rights. 
 

The various speakers from MONUSCO first of all talked about the efforts being made by the DRC with the support of its partners (including MONUSCO) to promote the advancement of women. They then discussed some of the several obstacles that delay the development of Congolese women, identifying women’s attitudes as representing one of these barriers.  As pointed out by the first speaker, Sabine Woube, a native of Chad serving as Women’s Rights Protection Advisor within the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office at MONUSCO-Uvira, who dwelled on the long struggle waged by Chadian women for their emancipation,   “Sometimes the challenges women face are of their own making; women remain their own enemies.”  She said women should to stop thinking that some tasks are exclusively reserved for women and others for men. 

The second speaker, Jostinah Mwangombe (Kenya), who serves in the MONUSCO-Uvira Corrections Advisory Unit, shared her own experience, before urging Congolese women to help one another and to show greater solidarity towards one another by joining together in associations to be stronger.  She also denounced the “culpable silence” of some women who, in the name of traditions and customs, or for fear of reprisals, prefer to remain silent and suffer all manner of abuse and violations of their rights.  "Your silence is the greatest ally of the violence to which you are subjected on a daily basis in your homes,” she said to loud applause from the participants. 

The third speaker, Ms. Consolatrice Muzuri of the Civil Affairs Section, stressed the importance of educating young girls, arguing that ignorance represents a serious obstacle to women’s development. 
 

This was followed by a two-hour question and answer session which enabled discussion of ideas, strategies and recommendations to help women stop “suffering in silence, alone in your corner”;  influence the electoral process; participate in decision-making roles.

Finally the participants came away from the meeting feeling their expectations were met and hoping for further such meetings in the future.  Louise Esango of the local NGO “Women for Peace and Social Justice” (FEPAJUS), on behalf of all the women present, "thanked MONUSCO for the opportunity to be part of this unique initiative which is of benefit to all women. We have learned a lot and go away happy.”  She, along with women leaders, promised they will share the knowledge acquired during this event with other women who had not been able to attend.

Jean-Tobie Okala