Thank you, Chair.
Members of Parliament, good afternoon.
I am pleased to testify before you today to discuss the issue of sexual violence against women and children in fragile states and in conflict situations. l would like to share with you several observations made during a recent visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
I will also take this opportunity to present, in my role as research analyst with the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, a number of recommendations to strengthen efforts to prevent and respond to sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations.
My presentation will be in French; however, it will be my pleasure to respond to questions in both languages.
As I just mentioned, I represent the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, a non-governmental organization whose mandate is to improve the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations through research, education, training and capacity-building.
The centre sensitizes police and military staff to sexual assault and sexual assault prevention in situations of conflict and post-conflict through various training courses, seminars and round tables.
One of the first objectives of our visit to the DRC was to study in greater depth the various aspects of the specific priorities of the UN mission in the DRC, MONUC, in particular the protection of civilians and the fight against sexual assault, in order to better design and plan our programs and to gather useful information for the purpose of developing our courses.
Sexual assault is not a situation specific to countries in a situation of conflict or post-conflict. Cases of violence are, of course, found all around the world. What differentiates this violence from what is found in armed conflicts, and more specifically in the DRC, is the permanent mark it leaves not only on its victims, but also on entire communities.
War- related violence is the most pernicious of all. Its purpose is to destroy, to humiliate families and to disperse populations. Its perpetrators are merciless, going so far as to cut off women's breasts with machetes and mutilate their genitals with broken bottles or firearms. Even worse, if that's possible, this violence does not just affect its victims; the stigmatization is such that their families and communities suffer as well.
According to UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict, as many as 500,000 women were raped during the genocide in Rwanda, more than 64,000 in the conflict in Sierra Leone and more than 40,000 in the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
In 2009, it is estimated that more than 15,000 women were raped in eastern DRC. In Darfur, approximately 100 women are raped every day. That is hard to believe, but it's a fact.
It is in these circumstances that UN Security Council Resolution 1820, which was adopted in 2008, denounces the use of rape and sexual violence as weapons of war in armed conflicts.
That resolution, which is further to Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, goes so far as to acknowledge that systematic sexual violence against women in situations of conflict is not only an attack on the dignity and human rights of women, but also constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity.
Despite these resolutions and numerous international efforts, the greatest injustice is the impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of rape and sexual crimes. In situations of conflict, the vast majority of attackers go unpunished.
More recently, in July 2010, some 200 rebels invaded the Walikale region in the province of North Kivu, in DRC. They pillaged the area and raped more than 300 women and young girls over three days, in an undeniable use of sexual assault on the vulnerable population.
The international community reacted quickly, deploring MONUC's failure to take action in response to the attacks and demanding a greater effort on the part of the mission to protect civilians.
The question arises: could these deplorable incidents have been prevented? Opinions vary. Some say that military observers could more readily have perceived the signs of violence and prevented the attack merely by being there. Others claim that the mission should have used force and attacked the attackers. For others still, the mission could not have prevented the incident in spite of its efforts.
Wanting to blame MONUC is understandable. After all, the purpose of the mission is to protect civilians.
However, as a member of the international community, we have to consider the following question: do our expectations exceed what the mission can accomplish with its human and financial resources?
The sensationalist media find it hard to mention that the 30 military observers might not have been able to confront the 200 rebels.
Particularly since it can take 20 to 30 minutes to cover a distance of 30 kilometers in North America or Europe, whereas, in the Congo, that can take two or three days in a 4 x 4. That is in addition to the absence of any communication system, more particularly in the remote villages.
In view of these circumstances, is it MONUC's responsibility to protect all individuals at all times, wherever they may be? This is an unavoidable debate and it will last as long as the insecurity remains and national security institutions are unable to fully protect civilian populations across the country. It is important to bear in mind that the UN's mission in the DRC is not an executive mandate. In other words, the UN's responsibility is to support the DRC government's efforts to combat impunity and to protect civilians from violations of international humanitarian law and human rights.
There is no quick and easy solution. It is interesting to watch MONUC's numerous initiatives to create and improve ties with the communities and to sensitize senior leaders of the countries concerned to the problem of sexual violence. Despite its extent, it is difficult to identify any impact in the context of a conflict in which armed rebel groups use sexual violence as a weapon of war and where impunity reigns. Prevention is necessarily one of the best ways to combat sexual violence. For example, one of the deficiencies identified during our visit was a lack of communication between military forces and UN police and the local communities. Communication is a critical factor in any preventive strategy as it permits a better understanding of the local situation and of alarm signals.
Deploying a larger number of female police officers and military members is another prevention strategy. For example, female staff can facilitate access to local women, improve support for their needs and thus help increase the sense of safety among the local populations. In addition, as women often represent more than half of the adult population of a specific society, it seems logical that, in the context of a peace operation, an attempt should be made to achieve some balance between men and women in staffing positions. However, prevention cannot be carried out without a security and judicial system that the public can trust and that puts an end to impunity for violence against women, whether it is committed by civilians, militia members or soldiers. The security system cannot be reformed without the political will and determination of the players concerned.
During her visit to DRC last April, Michaëlle Jean, Canada's former Governor General and Commander in Chief, said: "By giving women these means, we are giving the families, communities and countries to which they belong the opportunity to live a better, fairer life." It is important to note that sexual violence prevents women from even taking part in their society, a condition that was identified by Resolution 1325 as an essential factor in achieving sustainable peace. Implementing the national action plan on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 is another strategy for combatting sexual assault by implementing and monitoring the various indicators.
Lastly, it is also important to note the role of donors in combatting sexual violence. Despite their good intentions, we often see that donors lack an understanding of the situation. It is important that they adopt a holistic approach to ensure that entire communities receive funds while meeting the specific needs of the victims of sexual violence.
If this visit taught us one thing, it is that MONUC's ongoing work and efforts, together with those of the humanitarian agencies and organizations in the field and the national players concerned, are essential in combatting sexual violence. However, more effort is and will be necessary in future. In the short term, it is important that the assessment of current situations help determine development and investment actions that will have a concrete effect in the field.
I would like to conclude by citing Ms. Marie-Jacqueline Kumbu, from DRC's department of gender, the family and children: "Evil strikes suddenly but dissipates slowly." It is thanks to the contained and concerted efforts of the international community that we can hope for an improvement in the situation of women and children enduring situations of conflict.
Thank you for your attention. I will be pleased to answer your questions.