Letter of Solidarity
Dear Sisters,
We, members of the Global Fund for Women community, are writing to express our determination to join with you in halting the brutal epidemic of rape and sexual aggression currently used as a tool of war against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We are concerned and outraged that Congolese women continue to be subjected to terrifying levels of violence and sexual abuse. Your courage and conviction to challenge this culture of violence and impunity both inspires and galvanizes us.
Over the past three years, we, the individual women and men who are supporters of the Global Fund for Women, have helped to raise and invest almost half a million dollars in Congo to support women's efforts to build a peaceful community. But we know we have to do more. Over the next three years, we are committed to continuing our support of the Global Fund's work so that, in turn, it can commit and additional million dollars in grants to women working for peace in the Great Lakes region – DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and the border region of Tanzania. We believe that to support and protect the women of Congo is to support all humanity.
We want you, our partners in the struggle for a more peaceful and just world, to know that we are concerned about your safety, and about the well-being of your children and families. As global citizens, we pledge to do what we can to raise awareness about the challenges you are facing and to demand that our leaders and political representatives act to end the violence now. In addition to our pledge to continue our financial support of this work, therefore, we are supporting the call made by the Board of Directors of the Global Fund for Women to:
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Stop impunity for the perpetrators of rape and sexual violence
- Call upon the international community to exercise leadership to end the flow of arms coming from the United States, Russia and France into Congo and Central Africa.
- Call upon the United Nations to uphold its mandate to protect Congolese populations currently under threat by armed groups
- Demand that the Congolese government ensure the safety of all its citizens, particularly women and children.
We salute you, the activists and leaders in your own communities in the
region, for all you have done to expose the abuse of human rights, to
provide services to those who need them the most, and to bear witness
in the face of terrible crimes against humanity. We want you to know
you are not alone. Many thousands of ordinary citizens in this country
and others care about the future of the Congolese people. We will do
all we can to be true partners in your efforts.
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