Help Age Canada

With Help We Can Change Attitudes

“We took in an 86-year-old woman who was raped by a 15-year-old boy, and a woman who is 55, and another of 56… This is done by young men!”

Julienne Lusenge speaks passionately about the situation in Ituri and Kivu, two areas hard hit by armed violence.

While much of the Democratic Republic of Congo is back to normal, armed groups of all kinds – elements of the Congolese military, militias, rebels, gangs – still terrorize the population in the east. This has been going on since the late nineties and one of the reasons for the longevity of the conflict is control over areas rich in diamonds, gold and coltan (used in cell phones). Some regions may experience stability for a while, but then violence erupts again.

Asked why rape has become so widespread, Julienne explains: “During the war the armed men were raping women to punish villages, as a way to humiliate the men. Now we are seeing many young men who left those armed groups coming back in our communities, but without any psychological help or support they continue to rob, rape, kill. With no work and nothing to do, when they see a woman… five or ten men may decide to rape a woman, and then go on to mutilate her. It is hard to understand how human beings
can do something like that.”

Julienne Lusenge started denouncing such acts through a radio show several years ago, and together with other women she set up SOFEPADI, a women’s group that helps the victims get treatment and rebuild their lives. In the town of Bunia they now run a small hospital specializing in cases of sexual violence, the only resource of this kind in Ituri.

SOFEPADI is also known for its fight against impunity. Despite its corruption and ineptitude, DR Congo’s judicial system can still deliver judgments against rapists – there are still judges and members of the police and army who want to do something good for their country, and SOFEPADI works with them.

However, bringing a case to court requires a lot of work, time and resources. “With donations that we receive, we can accompany a
victim but we need to pay for her transportation, lodging, food and all the fees that are associated with the legal process.” Through
SOFEPADI’s efforts, hundreds of men – including military and police officers – have been condemned to jail and required to pay for compensation.

All this doesn’t come without risks for the women of SOFEPADI. There have been attacks against them and they often receive threats. Imagine the pressure: they constantly deal with women who have been raped and mutilated in horrific ways, and they know it can happen to them any time. Julienne had to move her family three times to different towns in recent years.

For several weeks in August and September 2011, a man claiming to be with a militia threatened a SOFEPADI coordinator, warning
that she would soon be kidnapped and that they would “spill her blood” unless they could put their hands on Julienne.

Where do the SOFEPADI women find the courage to continue their work? They seem to see the victims as if they were their own sisters; it’s as simple as that. The results they get, the difference they make, are enough to convince them that change is possible for their country.

Julienne says older persons have a role to play. “With them we can raise awareness in the communities about rape. The problem is widespread, but little by little, attitudes are changing.”

Julienne Lusenge is the leader of SOFEPADI and a prominent speaker on the issue of sexual violence in Congo. She has been invited to speak to the United Nations Security Council and at various international conferences and hearings. Since sexual violence
also affects older persons, HelpAge Canada and SOFEPADI are collaborating together.

Collaboration: Simone Bertrand