Congo/Violence against women: Congo continues the fight

In order to raise public awareness of the concrete advances in the protection of women against all types of violence in Congo, several actors specializing in the issue held a conference-debate on November 25 at the French Institute of Congo.

Organized by Equipe France in Congo, in partnership with the Ministry for the Promotion of Women, the Integration of Women in Development and the Informal Economy, the conference-debate was part of the celebration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.The conference-debate was part of the celebration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. With the "Mouebara Law" adopted last May as a reference text, this conference aimed at measuring what has already been done and what remains to be done in terms of the fight against violence against women in Congo in order to improve the situation.

Indeed, after more than fifty years of legal vacuum, the Congo now has a legislative arsenal which, when implemented, will allow it to sanction more effectively the perpetrators of violence against women. " We wanted, on the occasion of this day, to give the floor to experts in the field to present us this new legislation, so that it does not have to be interpreted as a law.We wanted to give the floor to experts in the field to present us this new legislation , so that it does not remain a symbolic text, devoid of enforceability," said François Barateau, the French ambassador to Congo.

Thus, in their interventions, the panelists Nuptia Mbemba-Talantsi, magistrate and representative of the Center for Research, Information and Documentation on Women; Tendance Venzolo Bangate, magistrate and member of the association of women jurists; and Samuel Loupe, psychologist and member of the association Azur développement, have in turn presented the new legislation.association Azur développement, presented in turn the characteristics of this new legal instrument and tool for the effective penalization of gender-based violence in Congo, as well as the challenges of its implementation.

Among the advances of this law, we note the clear and detailed typology of violence and each related sanction; the extension of the statute of limitations allowing a minor victim to resort to the courts. the extension of the statute of limitations allowing a minor victim to go to court as an adult to seek justice; the inclusion of cybercrime offenses such as sexual harassment on social networks; etc.

" The Mouebara law does not abolish all the legal instruments that existed before in our country such as the Penal Code, the Family Code and others. It simply comes at the right time to reinforce them and give a specific mark in this fight for women's rights. Within the framework of its popularization, there are and will be awareness campaigns throughout the Congo. Also, the law will be translated into national languages to allow its wide understanding" , declared Nuptia Mbemba-Talantsi.

Also, because the fight against violence against women is collective and involves each professional body, namely health care providers, law enforcement, lawyers, associations and social workers, judges ...This time of exchange and sensitization to act together was introduced and punctuated by slam declamations by artists Mariusca and Black Panther." In addition to the legal issues discussed during this conference, we felt it was important to introduce a different perspective on this theme. Through art and poetry, these artists have awakened our conscience differently," noted Maurizio Cascioli, director of the French Development Agency.

Note that the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women marks the start of sixteen days of activities in favor of human rights, which will end on December 10, International Human Rights Day.

Source: www.rtbf.be