Amplifying the Voices of Women in Eastern Congo

This 44-page report details the findings of a study Women for Women International (WfWI) undertook among approximately 1,800 men and women in North and South Kivu, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) about women's perspectives and experiences in terms of violence and insecurity, health and well-being, livelihoods and education, and participation and wellbeing. Supported by the Open Society Institute, the study found that insecurity and violence constricted all aspects of normal life for women and that their economic empowerment strengthened families and communities. Research also found that participation in support groups and networks were positively related to better physical and emotional health, income and food security. The report concludes with recommendations for policy makers to improve women's well-being in DRC, including the use of community media to raise awareness about women's rights, increasing women's access to legal services, and supporting sensitisation campaigns highlighting women's roles in development.

Study participants reported that violence affects everyone in eastern DRC. Without adequate protective mechanisms for women in the form of policing, enforcement, and judicial recourse, they continue to be vulnerable to predatory practices. Insecurity prevented many women surveyed from pursuing livelihoods, and many said they feared working outside the house due to violence. Many women reported suffering from inadequate nutrition, rate themselves in poor health, and report unequal access to health services such as health screening, which the report maintains is particularly important in an areas with high levels of sexual violence. Those who did manage to generate income found themselves targeted for attack and robbery. Despite the daily challenges, women were focused on promoting peace, which women reported as understanding as being able to support their families.

The study also found that WfWI-affiliates rated their overall living situation more positively than non-affiliates and demonstrated a better understanding of their rights: More than half of non-WfWI-affiliated women have no knowledge of rights while only two percent of WfWI-affiliated women say they have no knowledge. Even with women's rights legislation, traditional practices can prevent wives from inheriting land and possessions - having a sense of agency and knowing where to seek assistance is therefore as important as rights awareness. Women who participated in groups had higher rates of knowing where to seek help and advice.

The report concludes with recommendations aimed at policy makers and donors, including the following:

• increase public access to rights information, particularly for women, with attention to differences between customary practice and individual legal rights;
• build gender awareness and knowledge of women's legal rights among lawyers, judges, and administrators of justice;
• increase the number of local human rights organisations that can provide accessible legal services to women;
• expand community sensitisation programmes that address stigma through social marketing strategies using radio programming, music, theatre, and billboards, for schools, churches, and other community centres;
• support programmes for sexual violence survivors to be empowered as spokespersons against stigmatisation;
• design specific programmes for men to promote sensitisation as well as to encourage breaking their own silence about abuse;
• raise public awareness of symptoms of mental health distress and available resources;
• encourage donors to support women's rights awareness training for women and for men, and ensure women and girls have access to civic education about their rights as outlined in national, family and religious laws and codes;
• support public sensitisation campaigns about how women's rights benefit society (via radio programmes, public service announcements, billboards, through targeting schools, churches and other community centres); and
• develop sensitisation campaigns and community programmes for men about women's rights, how women's rights strengthen families and communities, and the importance of joint decision making in the family. Offer programmes for men alone and for men with women.