MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

15.1.2008

with request for inclusion in the agenda for the debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 115 of the Rules of Procedure
by Marios Matsakis, Henri Weber, Frédérique Ries,
on behalf of the ALDE Group
on DRC and rape as a weapon of war

NB: This motion for a resolution is available in the original language only.

B6‑0035/2008

European Parliament resolution on DRC and rape as a weapon of war

The European Parliament,

• -having regard to its previous resolutions on RDC,
• -having regard to the Congolese national prevention and response plan to sexual violence (2008-2012) to deal with the victims and to eradicate sexual violence,
• -having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
• A.whereas in the Eastern Congo, the armed conflict continues to be marked by violations of the laws of war and systematic abuse of human rights,
• B.whereas there are reports of rape and other forms of sexual violence being committed against women and girls, who are left physically and mentally traumatised and whose lives are changed forever,
• C.whereas rape is also being committed in displaced persons camps, where many civilians seek refuge from the fighting that has driven more than 400,000 people from their homes and villages in 2007 alone,
• D.whereas there are also reports of increasing numbers of boys and girls being abducted by the fighting factions, some as young as nine years old, many of whom are then forced to take up arms and fight or are raped and sexually abused on a regular basis,
• E.whereas the war being waged against women not only destroys persons but also the family and the community,
• F.whereas the incidence of the recruitment or use of child soldiers has been described as “unprecedented” and yet another generation of youth is being destroyed by war in the DRC,
• G.whereas all of these acts are crimes under international law over which the International Criminal Court has jurisdiction and whereas those responsible must be held to account, for the sake of the victims, for the sake of peace and for the sake of the DRC’s future,
  • 1.Strongly condemns the use of rape as a weapon of war and recalls that the International Criminal Court has jurisdiction over these acts, as does the Democratic Republic of Congo;
  • 2.Denounces the massive crimes perpetrated both by militia men and officers of the Congolese army against the populations and reminds that the culture of sexual violence was established in the East after the Rwandan genocide of 1994;
  • 3.Stresses that rape in any circumstances is a crime under Congolese law and under international criminal law and that the enlistment, conscription or use of child soldiers is a crime under international law;
  • 4.Stresses that sexual violence is systematic, that this overall "culture of sexual violence" destroys all social networks and represents a genuine national threat;
  • 5.Expresses its deep concern as sexual violence causes an immense rural exodus;
  • 6.Urges the international community to take whatever steps possible to support the relevant national authorities to investigate these acts and prosecute those responsible;
  • 7.Urges the International Criminal Court to intensify its outreach efforts to ensure that everyone knows that these acts are crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC, that people from the DRC are currently on trial in The Hague for similar acts and to engage the victims and their communities in the ICC’s work;
  • 8.Calls on direct civilian and military services to cooperate fully with efforts by UN agencies, MONUC and other international partners to prevent crimes of sexual violence, to prosecute perpetrators of such crimes and to provide all needed assistance to survivors of such crimes;
  • 9.Calls on United Nations' peacekeepers in the area to strengthen their civilian protection efforts and to develop detailed plans for how protection measures will be implemented;
  • 10.Calls for systematic government efforts to trace the missing girls or to offer them appropriate demobilization and reintegration support;
  • 11.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Member States, the African Union, the Governments of the DRC and Rwanda, the Red Cross, the MONUC, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.