Mr. Chairman, members of the standing committee, ladies and gentlemen, bonjour, mbote, hujambo, betu'abu, hello. It is my honour to be standing here in front of you.
My name is Yvette Yende-Ashiri, and I'm an Afro-French-Canadian woman. I'm an advocate for women's and young girls' rights, and for social justice. I was born in Zaire, which is now called the Democratic Republic of Congo. When I pronounce the word “democratic”, I always ask myself and wonder what is democratic in Congo.
I am here today to be the voice of many women and young girls who don't have a voice. I believe, just as Julienne Lusenge said, that the solutions are in the hands of the women. Women need to be and must be at the table where decisions are taken. Women are the ones who should decide their fate. Women must be the ones leading the country. Women must be respected and considered as equal human beings, like you and me. The solutions will come from women and no one else.
Congo is a country that has been living under the domination of colonization up to now. I consider that this country, which is my home country, is still going through unfairness, especially when it comes to the status of women and young girls. What follows is an extract of the message from women and young girls from the city of Beni in North Kivu, addressed to MONUSCO. I will read this in French.
Our first message is: [...] we are the girls, the women of the city of Beni. We want peace in Beni. That is our first message! We want peace!
As an international community represented here by MONUSCO, you have certain mandates that are recognized and that you must fulfill to protect the people of [Beni] from the killings. [...] Resolution 1334, which gives you the mandate to contact the rebels and tell them to cease fire. We are asking what are you waiting for, what are you waiting for, how many massacres, how many bodies, how many deaths before you tell the rebels [to] cease fire?
[...] We are saying that [...] we have children who have been kidnapped, who are in the bush. [...] What are these children doing [in the bush]? [...]
[...] 60% [of the] rebels in the parks [...] are not [C]ongolese. [...] Only 40% of the rebels are [C]ongolese. We want to know [...] have you ever wondered how these people came from elsewhere to reach [Beni]. Have you ever wondered about the supply of [weapons], and what measures you have implemented to [control] the [...] supply of weapon[s]?
This message was addressed to MONUSCO. As you can hear, the women of Congo have been experiencing violence for more than 24 years. Their bodies have been used as war weapons. Congolese women are very resilient women. Congolese women need a change in Congo. We always wonder why we cannot put an end to the war in Congo.
I heard earlier that we were talking about Bosnia. I do believe that if we dig further, with the help of Canada, we can put an end to this war.
What is behind this war? Why is it that the country of Congo is suffering so much?
The Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered for a long time as a result of the proliferation and illicit flow of small arms and light weapons and the lack of regulation of the weapons control mechanisms. The Arms Trade Treaty, or ATT, was adopted, signed and ratified, but Canada and the DRC didn't sign it. However, we commend Canada for its efforts to join the ATT, because at least Canada recognizes that the ATT sets a real global standard that helps prevent human rights violations and save lives.
The purpose of the ATT is to protect people from weapons. The ATT ensures that countries effectively regulate the international arms trade to prevent weapons from being used to support terrorism, international organized crime, gender-based violence and violations of human rights or international humanitarian law.
Our recommendations are as follows.
First, Canada must put pressure on the government of the DRC and encourage it to join the Arms Trade Treaty to prevent human rights violations and save lives. The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, a member of Parliament and Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated as follows: “We must continue to encourage other countries to join this treaty, and we must ensure it is properly implemented globally.”
Canada must also show its involvement in disarming armed forces and groups that operate in the DRC. Despite the presence of MONUSCO, we recommend that the Canadian government propose that the Security Council send a quick reaction military force that's similar to the Operation Artemis force, in order to quickly disarm the armed groups in the eastern DRC, since there are daily casualties.
The next recommendation concerns mining. The DRC is a victim of its natural resources, which are a source of envy. The presence of Canadian mining companies mustn't create misery for the Congolese people. The Canadian government must ensure that the socio-economic and environmental benefits of the presence of Canadian companies help improve the situation of Congolese people, and must also ensure the security of mining areas.
I'll conclude by stating the following. No war means no rape or child soldiers.
Thank you.