DR Congo: Worst Place to be a Woman

The Democratic Republic of Congo is arguably the worst place to be a woman. An armed conflict in the West African country has been described in the most harsh terms:

• The deadliest conflict since World War II
• Africa's First World War
• The great war of Africa
• The greatest humanitarian crisis on the planet

Words cannot aptly describe the conflict in DR Congo; words cannot aptly describe the suffering of the Congolese people who have faced unspeakable human rights violations - including rampant rape, forced labour and the worst forms of child labour - for more than a decade.

In DR Congo, both government troops and rebel groups use rape as a weapon of war. The casualties of the war are numerous and women and girls are the most vulnerable. More than 200,000 women and girls have been raped in DR Congo since 1998 and there is a growing need to protect civilians.

A video by Human Rights Watch paints a grim picture of DR Congo - the worst place to be a woman. WATCH...



Systematic mass rape and other forms of violence against women and girls in DR Congo have been documented and reported by Human Rights Watch and other rights groups and individuals for more than a decade, and the largest UN peacekeeping force - United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), formerly known as United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) - is on the ground in Congo, but it remains to be seen whether civilians would be protected from violence in a country that is so rich, yet so poor and unstable.

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George Soros grants $100 million to Human Rights Watch

"Human rights underpin our greatest aspirations" - George Soros

Human Rights Watch sent a fascinating email on September 8, 2010 to the organization´s supporters. The title of the email read - "George Soros's Gift, and Challenge, to Human Rights Watch." The email, signed by American Attorney and Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, announced that George Soros will grant $100 million to Human Rights Watch.

Who is George Soros?

George Soros is a businessman (stock investor), philanthropist extraordinaire and proponent of liberal politics. He was born in Hungary in 1930 and emigrated to the U.S. in 1956. He has commendable track record of donating staggering sums of money to support causes or organisations that push for democracy, human rights and good governance.

According to Human Rights Watch, the grant of $10 million a year over a period of 10 years will be used to "expand and deepen" the presence of the Human Rights Watch around the world, by staffing offices and funding research that uncover human rights violations.

This grant highlights the value of human rights. Unspeakable human rights violations occur in many "forgotten parts of the world," and George Soros clearly understands the urgent need to document and report such violations, and pressure governments to hold perpetrators accountable. With such a hugh donation, Human Rights Watch would have more researchers on the ground to give voice to the voiceless.

On a side note: Last month, Human Rights Watch urged Cameroon to decriminalize homosexuality. It is worth mentioning that the organization rarely reports violations in Cameroon, perhaps due to insufficient resources. Personally, I would like to see Human Rights Watch use part of this generous grant from George Soros to carry out more research in Cameroon - documenting and reporting otherwise unreported human rights violations in the West African country, especially as the country gears up for elections in 2011.

As a "challenge," George Soros expects Human Rights Watch to raise another $100 million that would further facilitate the work of the organisation.

"Invest in human rights" by making a donation and help Human Rights Watch meet the George Soros challenge.

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Using video for human rights advocacy

On September 6, 2010, I watched an educative video series on WITNESS. The video highlights the art of using video for advocacy - human rights advocacy.

It is said - a video is worth more than a thousand words. In this light, video has a greater potential to get the word out and effect change in the field of human rights.

The video series touches on four key issues relating to the use of video for human rights advocacy:

• Getting ready to make a video
• Filming
• Protecting interviewees
• Editing and distrubuting the video

Below is the video series (four videos that play continuously). WATCH...



With the advent of cellphones with built-in video cameras, most people possess cameras and can document human rights violations if they happen to be at the wrong place at the right time. I hope this video series inspires people of conscience to use video to raise awareness about human rights violations they witness.

Read more about how to effectively use video advocacy, here.

Permit me to leave you with the slogan of WITNESS - "See it, Film it, Change it."

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