The All Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group (PHRG), together with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes Region and REDRESS, organised an event to discuss how the UK Government can help overcome the barriers to justice for victims of sexual violence in conflict in the DRC.

We would like to thank Jeremy Corbyn MP for chairing this event.

The meeting featured a screening of part of “Seeds of Hope”, a documentary which follows the story of a Congolese woman, Matsika Katsuka, who helps a community of rape victims to rebuild their lives.

There were also short presentations by:

• Fiona Lloyd-Davies, filmmaker (including of “Seeds of Hope”) and photojournalist, (FY)
• Beini Ye, Post-Conflict Legal Advisor, REDRESS. (BY)

The key points raised during the meeting were as follows:

• Despite some recent trials and convictions of perpetrators, the perception of many Congolese is that there is no justice for victims of rape. (FL)
• Criminal prosecution remains rare and many obstacles exist for victims accessing courts, including stigma and lack of protection from the state. Compensation to victims has been promised but as yet none has been paid. (BY)
• An official working for the UK Government on the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) highlighted the UK Government’s role in taking the first steps to end sexual violence in the Congo, particularly through its development of a protocol on gender-sensitive conduct for trials. Agreed that more action is needed to change the situation on the ground.
• It was suggested that the UK Government could also set up bilateral discussions with the DRC, particularly to set specific milestones for the DRC government to achieve.
• The UK government could also encourage the DRC to set up the reparations fund announced in 2009 but as yet fails to exist. (BY)

The PHRG will continue to monitor sexual violence in Congo as well as progress made through PSVI.