Democratic Republic of Congo: Breaking the cycle of gender-specific and sexualized violence

In the South Kivu province of DR Congo, local women’s organizations are working together with medica mondiale to improve the opportunities in the lives of women who have experienced extreme violence. By developing their counseling provision, networking, public awareness work, and political campaigns, they are making an important contribution to peace in their region.

In the context of armed conflicts in South Kivu, rape and other sexualized violence are widespread. The women and girls subjected to this violence suffer severe physical and psychological effects, but these are not the only consequences: they are also frequently stigmatized and receive no access to legal assistance. Meanwhile, many of the perpetrators escape punishment.

Integrated support and empowerment for women

Together with six local partner organizations, medica mondiale is working to break through this cycle of sexualized and gender-based violence. At the center of the activities is the provision of integrated support for survivors, including medical referrals, legal counseling, and economic assistance. Additionally, the partner organizations carry out public education and awareness-raising activities within the communities and conduct political campaigns. In order to provide trauma-sensitive support for those affected, a regional pool of female experts is training psychosocial assistants (PSA) and providing training courses for staff members of partner organizations and healthcare institutions.

Stabilizing affected women and girls

During the period of the program, 2,365 survivors received integrated support; the focus was on psychosocial counseling. Some 60 percent of these women are now psychologically stable; more than 20 percent are better integrated within their families and communities.

Awareness-raising in the social environment

The partner organizations and the PSAs are now acknowledged within the target communities. More than 900 women have followed advice from a family or community member and visited a PSA. 1,245 community leaders have taken part in awareness-raising measures. Some 114,000 people were brought into contact via various channels with the issues of prevention and women’s rights. Some 60,000 people in 150 villages were informed about protection from sexualized and gender-based violence. On the issue of how bribery and corruption is a barriers preventing access to justice, a campaign reached leading representatives of politics and the judiciary at the provincial level.

Participatory learning process

The partner organizations play an essential role in supporting women in the region, and this program could be conducted effectively in spite of the critical security situation and the Covid-19 pandemic.

In some points, the evaluators identified potential for improvement. This applies to the monitoring and evaluation system, the legal counseling, and the involvement of clients and decision-makers. Additionally, medica mondiale should demonstrate more presence at the provincial level. It also needs to take more into account the varying expertise of the different organizations.

Overall, the evaluation was an important participatory learning process. Its results are already being integrated into the current, third project phase.