Irish Catholic bishops have highlighted the appalling violence being perpetrated against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and called on the Government to act towards bringing an end to the crisis.
A recent conference in Dublin was told that accounts of rape and violence taking place in the DR Congo, targeting females from infancy to old age, were “too horrific” to be outlined.
The Irish Commission for Justice and Social Affairs (ICJSA), set up by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, also highlighted the increased forced conscription of boys and men by armed groups.
Launching the ICJSA position paper on violence in the DR Congo, ICJSA chair Bishop Raymond Field said that the human tragedy unfolding in the region was “physically ripping families and communities apart”. Its psychological and social legacy “will have lasting repercussions for future generations,” he added.
After condemning the violence in the strongest terms, the bishops called on the Irish Government to act in bringing an end to the crisis. They advised the State to call for an immediate deployment of EU troops to support the UN mission in the Congo and to use its influence in the UN and the EU to exert pressure for renewed peace talks.
“As Christmas is about human solidarity and caring for the vulnerable and innocent, it is now timely for the Irish to offer help to the Congolese,” said Bishop Field. “One important contribution we can make is by raising awareness of this issue on both a national and international level.”
The launch of the ICJSA position paper on violence in the Congo was specifically made to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
According to reports, more than a million people have been displaced from their homes as a result of the conflict in eastern DR Congo, and the number of women raped in recent years is in the hundreds of thousands.
