The Congolese militia use rape as a weapon of war. The EU provides humanitarian aid, but the focus must also be on development to stop the war that fuels rape.

Reporter: War and rape in the Congo

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/15380361/m003-0106-en.srt

We're in Goma,  Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Armed conflict among groups has torn  the country apart since the 1980s.

Each year militia rape  thousands of women and girls.

Victims die of infections  or are banished.

As a result entire communities  are destabilised.

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 the 'kitpep'  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's 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 billion euros  in 2011 to East DRC,

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

We head to Kinshasa,  the capital of the DRC.

The African-Caribbean-Pacific groups 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 DRC:

do they have the means in terms of  security 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 job to do is  the ability to listen

people must progressively  let out the bad things.

According to the UN humanitarian  office's last report

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

Reporter: War and rape in the Congo

Info

Description