Plus jamais ca: Judicial Colloquium on Sexual Violence in DRC
On Friday the 1st of November, the Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law hosted a network event on the occasion of the closing of a Judicial Colloquium on Sexual Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which took place in The Hague from 28 October - 1 November 2013.
On behalf of Minister Ploumen, Mr. Swartbol, Director General for International Cooperation of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, opened the meeting by stressing that the fight against sexual violence is far from over. Communities and their leaders are the ones who must solve the root causes.
Dr. Denis Mugweke - founder and medical director of Panzi Hospital in the DRC and active human rights defender, who has treated thousands of victims - emphasized that the fight against sexual violence is an international responsibility and praised the Dutch efforts to fight impunity, which are necessary for us to be able to say ‘plus jamais ca’.
Three issues are considered to be crucial: to repair the dignity of the victims, to hold perpetrators accountable and to establish an historical account. Therefore, it is important to train historians, doctors, and judges as well as other relevant actors to more effectively document sexual violence to help victims to obtain access to justice.
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