Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Mr. Chair, I'd like to thank the subcommittee for this opportunity to address you on the issue of sexual violence against women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. My name is Jocelyn Kelly. I'm the director of the women in war program at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative,

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  The Congolese government's commitment to addressing sexual violence is a difficult matter. Any commitment, however, is strengthened by sustained pressure from partners who are truly engaged. The Congolese government is made up of remarkable individuals, many of whom have personal

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  As a public health researcher, I sometimes hesitate to comment authoritatively on some of the UN undertakings. However, I would say that many of the interventions still need to be integrated with local and national efforts. While the UN's efforts in DRC are admirable, it's still

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  It would be difficult for me to comment authoritatively on that. We see many unintended consequences as a result of actions in Congo, so I would not rule it out.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Absolutely. I think that was one of the most troubling and incomprehensible things that we saw in Congo. Women were being blamed for a rape that was clearly not their fault. One of the local partners I mentioned, the Medical Psycho-Social Help Centre, works in Bukavu, but radi

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you for that very important comment and question. As someone coming from the research community, I would hesitate to speak on behalf of programmatic NGOs working in the area. Unfortunately, I think I should probably leave that question to the programmers who are doing work

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  While it's an important question, I would, once again, hesitate to comment on the motivations leading up to going to the American embassy. I apologize, but I think I'm going to stay within my area of expertise, which is the impact of sexual violence on survivors in Congo.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you for that question. I certainly do find that a bit easier to respond to, although naturally it's a difficult question as well. I think Canada has undertaken a remarkable commitment to working in DRC, and I congratulate you on your efforts through CIDA. One of the things

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  One of the projects we have undertaken is looking specifically at the experiences, attitudes, and motivation of non-state combatants, including especially the Mai Mai militia. We found a number of practices within armed groups that promote sexual violence against civilians. One i

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Certainly. I think, again, this gets to the work with non-state armed combatants, many of whom are perpetrators of the violence that we're trying to understand here today. One thing that struck me as particularly heartbreaking while working in DRC is that when you talk to many

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Absolutely, and thank you so much for taking the time to read our report. I would just make a note that those statistics do come from a smaller survey, so it's not necessarily a population-based survey. Those were numbers we found in a smaller clinic-based sample of women who rep

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you for this wonderful question. This is an issue that we've looked at closely and one that is extraordinarily important. What will hopefully change, as part of the wider women, peace and security agenda, is an understanding that demobilization programs traditionally have

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I think this is an area of enormous concern. As many of you know, Dr. Mukwege, who is the director of Panzi Hospital, is truly the hero at the forefront of the issue of sexual violence in DRC and has dedicated his life to helping women there. He did face an assassination attempt

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I always remain hopeful. I think peace building has a terrible track record in involving women. I think one of the statistics from U.N. Women is that only 16% of all peace negotiations have involved women at any point. I think this is an opportunity for us to change that. I thin