Mbuji-Mayi, 19 February 2013 – A specialized judicial unit for combating sexual violence was inaugurated by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO), in Tshilenge district of Kasai Oriental province, 20 km southeast of Mbuji-Mayi, the provincial capital.

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) helped to establish this specialized unit within the Public Prosecutor's Office of Tshilenge, as part the project for "Reinforcing the fight against sexual violence-related impunity" being carried out by UNJHRO with financial support from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). Under this project, a similar unit was set up within the Prosecutor's Office of Mbuji-Mayi in November 2012.

The two units, each composed of a number of magistrates, assisted by some administrative staff, have for their mission to receive and document all sexual violence cases in their respective areas. UNJHRO's support to these units is critical in light of the rising number of cases of sexual violence in the region. As part of that support, the units were provided with essential equipment to boost their service delivery capacity and, beyond that, to improve the effectiveness of judicial officials in addressing sexual violence as a way to combat impunity. Several local authorities as well as representatives of the United Nations system were present at the official handover of the equipment.

Susanna Arcella/ MONUSCO