US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA156

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000156 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR H 
USAID/DCHA/DG L. FEINBERG, D. LOCKETT, C. SAVINO 
USAID/GH/HIDN/MCH M. STANTON 
USAID/DCHA/OTI L. WERCHICK 
USAID/DCHA/OTI M. PRATT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, KPAO, KWMN, KCRM, CG 
SUBJECT: SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN THE DRC 
 
REF: 2004 KINSHASA 2020 
 
1. (U) Summary: A number of donors, including the USG, have 
been working actively to combat sexual violence in eastern 
DRC since 2001. The USG has assisted over 13,000 victims and 
dedicated over $5.8 million dollars to help combat 
gender-based violence.  End Summary. 
 
USG Efforts 
----------- 
 
2. (U) USAID addresses immediate and longer-term needs of 
survivors of sexual violence, their families, and their 
communities in areas of eastern Congo that have been most 
affected by armed conflict. In January 2004, USAID conducted 
an assessment mission, published an extensive report entitled 
'Sexual Terrorism: Rape as a Weapon of War in Eastern DRC,' 
and developed a broad gender-based violence strategy. USAID 
provides funding to experienced international organizations 
which work with local NGOs, health structures, and community 
based organizations to increase their capacity to provide 
holistic support to survivors including medical, 
psychosocial, protection, and socio-economic reintegration 
services, while promoting judicial support and referral when 
appropriate. 
 
3. (U) With 2002-2004 funding from Victims of Torture and TIP 
($1,788,688 and $470,000 respectively), 12 local 
organizations, which are mostly headed by survivors, received 
about $650,000 in sub-grants. The rest of the funding 
provided logistical support, materials in kind, medicines, 
training, workshops, information dissemination, coordination 
and referral to other services.  Since 2002 these activities, 
which include post-rape reconstructive surgery at Panzi 
Hospital, mobile clinics which respond quickly to reported 
incidents of rape, and the first successful prosecutions of 
rape cases in eastern DRC have assisted over 13,000 
survivors, their families, and their communities. 
 
4. (U) Through an umbrella grant program managed by the 
International Rescue Committee in North and South Kivu, a 
local NGO called Action for Rights, Education (AED) provides 
sexual violence survivors with access to judicial support 
services. AED has won 57 of the 60 cases of sexual violence 
cases it brought to court over the past year and a half, 
including eight convictions against members of the military. 
Sentences range between 10 months and 20 years and include 
reparations for the victims and their families. AED has also 
mediated another 23 cases. As of January 2005, AED has 
registered 323 cases. AED received a FY 2004 grant for 
$50,000 to continue its efforts and expand services to women 
in more areas of South Kivu. 
 
Looking Ahead 
-------------- 
 
5. (U) For FY04-FY06, USAID/DRC received $2,500,000 from the 
Victims of Torture Fund to support around 20 local 
organizations and health structures through international 
NGOs and $1,000,000 in OFDA funds to provide health services 
and training through UNICEF and an international NGO. In 
addition, USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives provides 
grants to local community-based organizations that also 
directly benefit victims. In FY 2004, about $57,700,000 of 
USAID's total budget of $119,000,000 for the DRC will 
directly benefit areas in eastern DRC. Of that, $2,000,000 
will fund programming specifically targeted at addressing the 
needs of victims of sexual violence. The funding for the 
eastern DRC will also directly or indirectly benefit victims 
of sexual violence.  The total USAID budget specifically for 
gender-based violence from June 2002- September 2006 is 
$5,758,688. 
 
6. (U) In the past three years, the Embassy also used its 
limited Democracy and Human Rights Funds to support several 
local organizations that promote women's rights and support 
survivors of sexual violence, including Centre Olame in 
Bukavu. As access continues to improve, and with continued 
USG funding, we are well-positioned to provide additional 
much-needed assistance for the victims of violence in eastern 
Congo. 
 
Other Efforts 
------------- 
7. (U) The European Union, the European Commission, and 
European bilateral donors, notably the Belgians and the 
Swiss, have also provided significant resources. For example, 
in January 2005, Belgium granted 8 million euros over a 
three-year period to a $30 million joint initiative by UN 
agencies to stop sexual violence in the DRC. In addition, UN 
agencies and MONUC have prepared several reports on various 
aspects of this wide-scale problem, and MONUC plays an 
important role facilitating access for various NGOs. 
 
8. (U) Although the Congolese government has condemned 
gender-based violence at the highest levels, it has not taken 
much concrete action at this stage. The Justice, Social 
Affairs and Women's Affairs ministries have tried to develop 
limited programming to combat gender-based violence, but lack 
funding, capacity, and expertise. Unfortunately, 
well-intentioned activities often do not ensure 
confidentiality or protect survivors of violence, 
 
SIPDIS 
particularly in a culture in which, historically, women are 
considered second-class citizens. In addition, security 
concerns, poor medical infrastructure, limited resources (the 
budget for a country the size of the USA east of the 
Mississippi is only $1 billion), and lack of roads contribute 
to the Congolese government's inability to effectively deal 
with this problem. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
9. (U) We are pleased that gender-based violence in the DRC 
has received prominent media attention. We hope that 
international media interest can be harnessed to help further 
the work being done by the USG, other donors, and local and 
international NGOs which have been working on this issue for 
a number of years. 
MEECE