The Duchess of Edinburgh has been assisting survivors of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the past four days on a high-security visit.
The Duchess of Edinburgh has carried out a top-secret overseas trip for a series of moving meetings with women affected by conflict-related rape.
Sophie has spent four days in the Democratic Republic of Congo for a high-security visit to “shine a light” on the “weaponisation of rape” and support those who survive horrific war-related sexual violence.
During the trip, she visited Beni, in the conflict-hit east of the African nation, and became visibly moved as she listened to a 16-year-old girl who told her she was attacked by a police officer, while another woman described being sexually assaulted while fleeing rebel-held areas.
She sat barefoot with the survivors, some of whom wept as they spoke to her as she entered a tent close to a hospital. She also went on the trip to see Dr. Denis Mukwege, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, perform surgery on a five-year-old girl at the Panzi Clinic in Kinshasa, which cares for survivors of sexual violence in conflict.
She continued, “You have to really question yourself and ask yourself, how can we have reached a point where rape is just accepted as a daily life?”
“I don’t make light of any of them, and I just wish we weren’t required to hear their stories, but it’s important that we do because each one deserves to be told and each one deserves recognition,” they say.
She continued, “I believe you must allow this problem to get in your way.” You must actually go and experience it for yourself, because that is the only way to accomplish that.
You must be able to sit with these people, understand the environment in which they live, and don’t force them to approach you; you must do so.
And you must be aware of where they live, the circumstances they are in, what has led them to where they are right now, and what their futures may or may not hold, and, regrettably, what they might not hold is frequently the case.
Sophie made a second visit to Kinshasa’s Makala Central Prison last year while other women were still recovering from sexual abuse.
To reach a safehouse where the women are being cared for, the duchess traveled along a constricting path strewn with rubble. Women spoke of forced abortions, being excluded from their own families, and the daily dangers they still face as they sat in a small, sweltering room with two bunkbeds.
One woman told Sophie that women are most likely to be raped when they seek firewood at a Danish Refugee Council-run safe space for women in Beni, which is funded by the UK.
The duchess had earlier met women peacekeepers and stated that she had planned to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo because the conflict there necessitated a “solution” there.
More than 7 million people have been forced to flee the country’s mineral-rich eastern region after decades of war. The duchess also participated in basket weaving, and was given a cuddly gorilla toy during the visit.
She took a brief crash course while she joined a Brazilian jungle warfare training team that was stationed there as part of the UN peacekeeping force MONUSCO.
Before boarding a bulletproof patrol vehicle used to reach remote villages as part of peacekeeping operations, she watched as the team demonstrated landmine detection, first aid for ambush victims, including using a tourniquet.
She also made a trip to a cafe to learn about efforts to promote peace in Virunga National Park, which is largely under rebel control. She was informed of efforts to protect the world’s oldest national park, which is home to mountain gorillas, by encouraging local jobs through eco-tourism, providing renewable energy, and supporting sustainable agriculture.
The Duchess beamed as she received gifts, including cuddly gorilla toys, chocolate bars, and coffee beans.
Source: Mirror
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