MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
15.1.2008
pursuant to Rule 115 of the Rules of Procedure
by Ari Vatanen, Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Bernd Posselt, Eija-Riitta Korhola
on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and rape as war crime
B6‑0043/2008
European Parliament resolution on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and rape as war crime
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on the human rights abuses in the DRC,
- having regard to the resolution of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, 22 November 2007,
- having regard to Security Council report Twenty-fourth report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 14 November 2007,
- having regard to United Nations Mission in DR Congo statement of 27 July 2007,
- having regard to Human Rights Watch publication Renewed Crisis in North Kivu, October 2007,
- having regard to Human Rights Watch publication Seeking JusticeThe Prosecution of Sexual Violence in the Congo War, March 2005,
- having regard to the Amnesty International Report 2007,
- having regard to the UN-sponsored Plan d’Action Humanitaire 2008 pour la République Démocratique du Congo, 11 December 2007,
- having regard to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs humanitarian news and analysis, 13 December 2007,
- having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas UN Security Council resolution 1325 emphasizes the responsibility of all states to put an end to impunity and to prosecute those responsible for crimes against humanity and war crimes including those relating to sexual and other violence against women and girls,
B. whereas the many years of armed conflict have resulted directly and indirectly in 4 million direct and indirect victims and caused the displacement of at least 1.5 million people, most of them women and children, as well as the destruction of the socio-economic infrastructures of the DRC,
C. recalling with concern, that, since the end of 2006, approximately 300 000 persons living in the province of North Kivu have been forced to flee their homes due to warfare involving the regular armed forces of the DRC and the rebel troops of ousted general Laurent Nkunda, and other armed groups bringing the total number of displaced persons to 800 000 people,
D. tremendously worried by the increasing violence, the widespread human rights violations, rapes and other forms of sexual violence perpetrated against women from the eastern provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu,
E. whereas in the Eastern Congo women are being systematically attacked on an unprecedented scale and, according to the United Nations Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, the sexual violence in Congo is the worst in the world,
F. whereas according to the Plan d’Action Humanitaire 2008 pour la République Démocratique du Congo there were 32 353 reported rapes during the year 2007, most likely a fraction of the total number,
G. whereas raping seems to be used as a method to humiliate women in front of their families and communities and thus to destroy the integrity, morale and cohesion of those communities, whereas the aim of the attacks seems to be the complete physical and psychological destruction of women with implications for the entire society,
H. worried, that women and girl victims of rape suffer widespread social discrimination and rejection by their families and communities, this being an additional reason why only a fraction of rape incidents are being reported by the victims,
I. whereas large areas of the Eastern Congo are practically lawless, where civilians are at the mercy of armed groups making their living by raiding villages,
J. whereas rapes, sexual and other human rights abuses are committed by all parties to the conflict in Eastern Congo, including both government and rebel troops, as well as the National Congolese Police, whereas violence against women seems to be perceived as commonplace by large sectors of society,
K. having regard to the reports of several international human rights organizations, showing that only few perpetrators of rape and sexual violence reach the justice system, whereas those perpetrators convicted often receive only light sentences or even escape from detention, with serious allegations of widespread corruption,
L. whereas, according to human rights groups, gang rapes are commonplace and they are often accompanied by barbaric acts of torture, whereas many young women have been abducted into sexual slavery and have not been able to enter disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programmes,
M. deeply concerned that many women victims of rape do not have the means or courage to get access to adequate medical treatment for consequent injuries or illness such as sexually transmissible diseases,
N. whereas in some villages women leave at night to sleep in the bushes because of the fear of being raped and thus expose themselves to diseases like malaria and gastro-enteritis,
O. whereas it is imperative to take all the necessary measures to put an end to the conflicts, dismantle the armed groups and forestall any future conflict so as to consolidate peace and democracy,
P. whereas UN investigations have proved that some MONUC personnel have been implicated in sexual abuses against women and girls in the DRC,
1. Calls on all the forces participating in conflicts in the east of the DRC to respect human rights and international humanitarian law, to cease all attacks on women and other civilians and to allow humanitarian agencies to come to the assistance of victims;
2. Especially urges that the perpetrators of sexual violence against women be reported, identified, prosecuted and punished in accordance with national and international criminal law;
3. Calls on the Commission and the Council to prepare, with the cooperation of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and with the Government of the DRC a rapid, specially targeted and effective medical and humanitarian programmes to help the victims of the sexual violence in the DRC, with the aim of providing increased and improved access to integrated health and social services;
4. Calls on the UN, the AU, the EU, and the other partners of the DRC to do everything possible to provide efficient and adequate aid and protection to women in the east of the DRC and to contribute to address this humanitarian disaster;
5. Calls on the Commission to provide support, including financial aid, to the organisation of a peace conference in Kivu, so as to enable the population to participate in the search for lasting solutions;
6. Calls on the Government of the DRC and the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) to guarantee an appropriate level of security for the members of humanitarian organisations;
7. Calls on all Member States of the UN sending personnel on the MONUC peacekeeping mission to follow up all claims of sexual abuse and exploitation, particularly those which concern minors, and to bring those individuals who have committed sexual abuses to court as quickly as possible;
8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Governments of the DRC and the Great Lakes countries, the African Union institutions, the Secretary-General of the UN, the European Commission, and the governments of the EU.