Duchess of Edinburgh speaks out against sexual violence after secret DR Congo visit
The Duchess of Edinburgh said that the issue of sexual violence should be allowed to “enter under your skin” because he met women affected by the rape of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Sophie spent four days in the country during a hidden high -security trip for the “rape armament üzerinde on the“ sparkle ”and recognized the work done to support those who survived sexual violence against terrible war.
On Monday, he visited me at the conflict kick in the east of the country and explained that a 16 -year -old girl was attacked by a police officer, and another woman announced that she was sexually assaulted as she escaped from the rebel regions.
Duchess has two children, 21 -year -old Lady Louise Windsor and Wessex Count 17 -year -old James, her husband Edinburgh.
He went into a tent close to a hospital and some of them were talking naked feet with the survivors.
During his visit on Wednesday, during his visit to the Panzi Clinic in Kinshasa, who provides care for sexual violence with conflict, Dr. Denis watched that he had been operated by Mukwege.
He joined him Alyson King, the ambassador of the United Kingdom of Democratic Republic of Congo.
Duchess then said to journalists: “You really should question yourself and, ‘How can we reach a point where rape is accepted as a part of daily life?’
“That’s why it is terrible to hear their stories, but each one deserves to be said and each deserves to be known, so I don’t get any light and I wish I didn’t have to hear them, but it is important that we do it.”
“I think you should let this problem be under your skin.
“And there is only one way to achieve it, you should really go and see it yourself.
“You must understand the environment in which people live and come to them, not to come to you and go to them.
“And you must understand where they live, the conditions in which they are in, what they can do with them and what they can do, and what they cannot do.”
Sophie later visited women who survived sexual violence during a mass escape attempt in the Central Prison in Kinshasa last year.
Duchess walked along a narrow road full of rubble to reach a safe where women are looked at.
He sat in a small, overwhelming room with two bunkza, and heard that women were talking about abortion, marginalization from their families, and the daily risks they still faced.
The republic of Eastern Democratic Congo, rich in mineral, replaced more than seven million people and endured the war that lasted for decades.
Earlier this year, the M23 Rebel group, which was said to be supported by Rwanda, seized Goma and Bukavu cities at a great rise of the conflict.
Other rebel groups, including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) of the Islamic State (IS) group, carried out fatal attacks in the region.
On Monday morning, 60 -year -old Sophie flew to Beni on a flight from Entebbe in Uganda and traveled with a security team during the trip.
After landing, he said that it was a “honor to return to the Republic of Democratic Congo, which had previously visited in 2022, but added:“ I wish it was happier. ”
He said that a woman Sophie will be raped when she searched for a firewood for a woman Sophie, which is run by a Danish Refugee Council for women in the UK.
Another 24 -year -old woman said that she made a journey of 40km for three days with a baby and family members after setting up the ADF members.
PA news agency said that through a Svahili translator, it helps to get rid of the mental health problems of the safe area as a result of the conflict.
One woman said she was traveling from rural areas to me from the relatives of Goma in the midst of her M23 bombardment in June, and the other worried that she could be taken by militant groups.
Previously, the Duchess met the women’s peace forces and told them that he had returned to the Republic of Democratic Congo, because the conflict required a “solution ve and planned to visit again.
A woman was passionally heard, saying that Britain was a criminal partner in Rwanda, the neighbor of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Sophie then told the woman that she did her best to shed light on those in conflict.
Dr Mukwege said that he was “touched ve from Duchess’s visit and added that his presence sent a message to the survivors:“ You are human ”.
The Duchess is a champion of the UN’s women, the Peace and Security Agenda (WPS) and the British attempt to prevent sexual violence (PSVI) in the conflict attempt.
On Thursday, Duchess visited Kintambo General Hospital, which provides physical, mental and legal support and economic opportunities to survived.
While DRC Prime Minister Judith Suminwa met those who survived, a doctor told journalists that some of them are children and that babies have seen sexual harassment.
A surviving person said that he and his daughter were raped by armed robbers and caused her marriage to break down and her husband to remove her daughter.
Now, he sells waffles as part of the economic activities provided by saying that the hospital is a “game changer ..
A mother said how her 12 -year -old daughter was raped after leaving the house and now she sells vegetables in the markets to send her child to school.
Survivor gave a flag of union made of red, white and blue beads for 22 hours.
Sophie then met with DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, where they exchanged French pleasure.
