Charlotte Simon received a BEFFTA award from Pauline Long for her work with Mothers of Congo. Both are UPF Ambassadors for Peace. In her award speech she decried the sexual violence in DRC saying 8 million are estimated to have been raped in the last 20 years.
RAPE IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
FIRST OF ALL WE WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO BEFFTA AND PAULINE LONG FOR HONORING US WITH THIS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD. THANK YOU FOR RECOGNISING THE SUFFERING THAT WOMEN AND GIRLS OF CONGO ARE GOING THROUGH. I ALSO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO ROBIN MARSH AND UPF WHO HAVE BEEN A REAL SUPPORT AND MY CHURCH THE ALL NATIONS WHO HAVE BEEN PRAYING RELENTLESSLY FOR THE PAST 14 YEARS FOR CONGO.
RAPE IS A TORTURE, SO WHY DOES IT STILL GOES UNPUNISHED IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO? GERMAINE GREER, AN AUSTRALIAN WRITER WAS RAPED IN 1958 WHEN SHE WAS 19 YEARS OLD. 53 YEARS LATER SHE IS STILL TRAUMATIZED BY HER ORDEAL. IN THE SUNDAY TIMES OF 10TH JULY 2011 SHE SAID, I QUOTE “RAPE IS A MEDIEVAL CATEGORY. THE MAN WHO COMMITS SUCH A CRIME, HIS NAME SHOULD BE MADE PUBLIC ON A SEX OFFENDERS REGISTER”
FIONA LLOYD DEVIES IS AN AWARD WINNING FILM MAKER AND PHOTOJOURNALIST. ACCORDING TO HER, THE 2011 AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH ESTIMATED 400.000 WOMEN ARE RAPED A YEAR IN DRC THAT IS 48 WOMEN AN HOUR, 8.400.000 IN THE PAST 20 YEARS. RAPE IS USED AS A WEAPON OF FEAR BY THE INVADERS, RWANDAN AND UGANDAN SOLDIERS, TO DESTROY A WHOLE POPULATION OF THE D. R. CONGO. MOTHERS OF CONGO IS A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS, WE SPEAK UP AGAINST RAPE TO WOMEN AND GIRLS OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO. WE PROCLAIM PEACE WITH OUR NEIGHBOURS AROUND THE GREAT LAKES REGION.
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