What is Europe’s response to this strategy that is used in certain conflict-torn regions in Africa? We go to the Democratic Republic of Congo to find out.

Focus: Rape is a war tactic

rape is becoming a weapon  used to weaken the enemy in war

because women in Africa  often support a family.

The community suffers  because besides the violence

the women are also rejected  by their communities.

What is Europe doing about  the barbarism in parts of Africa?

Is there a formula  for preventing conflict?

We'll discuss this with our guests and  then we have a report from east DRC.

To discuss the management of conflicts  in Africa, I have here with me today

Maëva Custinne from the Inter-Regional  Forum of Congolese Women,

Louis Michel from the  Group of Liberals and Democrats,

director of the Group for Research and  Information on Peace and Security, GRIP

and Alain Deletroz from the International  Crisis Group. Hello, everybody.

Before we start let's watch a report by  Stefano Valentino who went to east DRC.

Gang rapes are planned on a large scale  by militia and illegal armed groups

from the country  and neighbouring Rwanda.

The aim is to destabilise the opposition,

humiliate them,  isolate them and win territory.

The women in this part of Africa are  the first victims of an endless conflict.

Heal Africa is the largest centre  for female victims of rape.

We provide psychological and social help  to the victims of sexual violence.

We must give them a PEP kit  within 72 hours.

It's a medicine to prevent infection  from sexually transmitted diseases

After the medical care  we organise the transport

But some women say 'I won't go because  I don't know who'll take care of me.'

Amongst the hospitalised  there is this young orphan girl, 17,

we have masked her face  for her own safety.

Her daughter, Daniela, born in early  December is the result of a rape

She encountered unidentified armed  men who then raped her.

She is afraid to return to Masisi  because the offenders are still there.

We have already concluded a project  with the European Union.

not just placing emphasis  on medicines or equipment

but also on rehabilitation and  reconstruction of certain structures.

The EU will give 2.5 million euros  in 2011 to east DRC,

but this aid is aimed at distribution  of medicines and not hospital building.

We head to Kinshasa,  the capital of the DRC.

The African-Caribbean-Pacific group  is meeting representatives from the EP.

MEP Louis Michel is co-president of  this joint parliamentary assembly.

The ACP-EU Joint parliamentary  Assembly has made this its main focus.

For example, if you take  the problem in the east DRC:

do they have the means in security terms  to ensure women's safety?

We leave the ACP-EU meeting with  Louis Michel who takes us to Lembe,

one of the poorest areas of Kinshasa  and home to the NGO

Association Pour l'Integrité de la Mère  et de l'Enfant.

It's mission is to help rape victims to get  medical and legal assistance.

It's president Elise Mukadi welcomes us.

How many women, girls and children  are you looking after?

I thought that in the east  it would be useful to have refuges

so that women would be able  to come and testify

and above all to launch  legal proceedings.

You can't just look at it  from a medical perspective

and drop the legal aspects,  you must look at it all together.

The first thing  we must do is listen to people

so that people can progressively  let go of the hurt.

According to the UN humanitarian  office's last report

160 women are raped every week  in the eastern province of Kivu.

Louis Michel,  you're back from the DRC.

that the biggest problem at the moment  is the rapists' impunity.

Does that impunity mean  security cannot be established?

It means that those who carry out  the rapes do it as a weapon in war,

but also simply because of  their perverted nature.

The big problem today is that  too many of these rapes go unpunished.

There is nowhere these women  can freely or easily go to testify.

That's a deterrent, in my opinion.  There isn't anywhere.

That raises the issue,  an issue of development,

of those countries that are countries,  nations and populations but not states.

The problem in the DRC is rebuilding  a state with all the functions of a state.

Maëva Custinne,  you come from east DRC.

more aid will be invested  in training police

and creating court services,  as Mr Michel said.

Do you think those victims  will have the courage to testify?

These women are in the position  that once they have been rehabilitated,

they are left to their own devices again.

It might be judicious to ensure that  the programme provides aid

for these women to be reintegrated,  in the form of training.

next year 1% of the money  will be spent on reintegration

and 71% on medical, psychological  and social support.

You see doctors saying,  'No, we need hospitals.'

But once these victims  have survived their ordeals,

they need to be able  to reintegrate into society.

Mr Michel, as you said,  everything is yet to be created.

How can we hope that  the law will be able to do this?

The doctors are right.  They need infrastructure.

But first, they have to make sure  security is adequate,

that the infrastructure  will not be demolished within the hour.

There are problems with infrastructure,  communications and roads in the DRC.

Material infrastructure  does need to be provided.