Make a difference - support the supporters

A year ago the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1820 on sexualised violence in conflicts and asked member states to do everything in their power to stop the violence and protect women and girls in conflict epicentres. But in the field little has changed. Activists and human rights defenders still carry out most of the work and organise support to women who survive the assaults. Listen to voices and see film clips from Sydkivu in east Congo. 

Denis Mukwege from Kvinna till Kvinna on Vimeo.
Dr Denis Mukwege, Chief Surgeon at the Panzi Hospital, speaks of the need for support, if only in the form of letters of solidarity to the hospital's staff and patients.

In May, women activists from Bosnia Herzegovina and Croatia visited the Panzi Hospital in Bukavo, east Congo. They took with them their experiences from the Balkan war and their work supporting women who had fallen victim to the systematic rape that took place during the war.

The Panzi Hospital helps women subjected to rape during the war in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Thousands of women have been raped as a deliberate strategy of war to break up communities and destroy any resistance. The government's current offensive against the Hutu militia has led to the number of rapes once again increasing. Last year Dr. Denis Mukwege was awarded both the Olof Palme Prize and the UN Human Rights Prize for his work at the Panzi Hospital.

Despite the great geographical divide, there are many common denominators between the women from the Western Balkans and the women in DR Congo. As in DR Congo, women who were raped during the Balkan war are met with prejudice and suspicion, and risk being rejected by their families and communities. They now had the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience of how women subjected to rape can return to society and live a worthy life. In February staff from the Panzi Hospital visited Bosnia Herzegovina.

A short film on the exchange will be released in the autumn, but you can already see and listen to some people who took part. Interviews by Marika Griehsel, Giant Film Production, editing by Simon Stanford, photos Anders Kronborg.

Lena Ag from Kvinna till Kvinna on Vimeo.
Lena Ag, President of the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, talks of the conflict's historical ties, women's status and the frustration over that which has taken place.

Wivin Nakasi Musafir from Kvinna till Kvinna on Vimeo.
Wivin Nakasi Musafir, nurse at the Panzi Hospital, asks why Congolese women are subjected to this violence.

Kerstin Åkerman from Kvinna till Kvinna on Vimeo.
Kerstin Åkerman, X-ray nurse and teacher at the Panzi Hospital, talks of the vulnerability of ordinary people who are forced to flee over and over again, and hoe you can make a difference.

Lena Wallquist from Kvinna till Kvinna on Vimeo.
Lena Wallquist, Coordinator for Bosnia Herzegovina at the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, talks of the view of women and the need for long-term efforts, and comments on the exchange between Congo and the Balkan. 

Annika Flensburg