Flash News:Province Orientale: 23 children died of malaria in the space of a month at Weko. Health Centre of this town, which has a dozen beds, has no means to properly care for many patients. ***VDAY confirmed for February 14 Bukavu as a base for the International Campaign One Billion Rising *** gynecologist Dr. Denis Mukwege returned to Bukavu ***
Visit our site in french for more updates about AFEM's work

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Bukavu: Women oppressed by domestic violence

Domestic violence is growing in the city of Bukavu to such an extent that it becomes a scourge that eats away at households. This violation of rights of women is no shortage of negative consequences of marital harmony.
"It is now three months since I lead a hellish life in my home. My husband always wants to behave like a despot and can not stand that I claim any of my rights. Because one night I had called for the satisfaction of my sexual desire, he treats me now bitch and unsatisfied.

He even ask me every time I dare to touch the bed, get my sexual satisfaction where I used to have it. It is as if, for him, I no longer exist. why does mockery and humiliation more than that? " Complains, tears, a young woman of twenty years, married with one child. She had come to seek advice from the office of the Social Vision Asbl to know how to recover its conjugal rights.
Domestic violence against women is a reality today in the city of Bukavu. Many women complain about it, each in form and submits it to his spouse because of domestic violence can take many forms. According to testimonies of women victims, it may be constant reproaches and insults, sometimes without good reason, just slapped with assault, deprivation diverse, lack of dialogue or lack of communication between spouses and so on.

The reason of the stronger
Most women, victims of one or other forms of domestic violence, we met in the city of Bukavu agree on the fact that men behave this way against them for selfish and masculine pride. "They are imbued with the fact that society sees them as head of household. They also wield the biblical words that want women to be submissive to their husbands, forgetting that the law considers all people equal. "Men think they are stronger than us and they are always right," remarked a woman victim, mother of seven children.
While the cause advanced by women is possible, it is also true that domestic violence can be caused in men by other reasons, including drunkenness and, especially low economic power over their women. This result causes men a kind of complex they seek to compensate by acts of violence against their wives. Since the successive wars of 1996, 1998 and 2004 it is women who provide for all household needs, including through the small business, their husbands are reduced to low wages and irregular for some and unemployment for others.

There is no one without two
All this violence is not without consequences for women victims as appropriate, the consequences can be physical, moral or psychological.
"Every time my husband comes home I have goose bumps. The calmness of the day disappears directly because I think that the ordeal began," said Madame Wivinne, which does not hesitate to show it has a few scars on the face and arms, the result of physical abuse of her Husband against him. She even admits that she has what it takes for the house, but she is not happy.
Dr. Anselm, General Practitioner in a polyclinic of the city, said that domestic violence can cause women victims of cardiovascular diseases and injuries of all kinds.
It must be recognized that many women victims of domestic violence suffer in secret. "They are afraid to spread their suffering, either by shame or fear of reprisals from their husbands or just for the sake of maintaining their homes," said Madame Hortense manager, an association of women for the development of Katana .
Whatever its form, domestic violence is a serious violation of the rights of women. Its consequences are such that they affect not only the physical and psychological integrity of the victim, but it also destabilizes the home to take away his characteristic haven.
 
Arlene KAJABIKA

1 comment:

  1. You need to insert a Twitter, Facebook buttons etc so your page can be publicly circulated easier.

    ReplyDelete

AFEM-SK

My photo
L’Association des Femmes des Médias du Sud Kivu (AFEM-SK) est une organisation à but non lucratif (OBNL) créée en vertu de la loi congolaise du 10 Août 2003. Les membres d’AFEM-SK sont composés de femmes actives dans les médias du Sud-Kivu et les maisons de presse. AFEM-SK est spécialisée dans la production des émissions radio en milieu rurale comme en milieu urbain avec un accent particulier sur les femmes soit à partir de radio-clubs ou dans la position de l'activiste social local. Ce groupe produit également des reportages sur le terrain et envoie des nouvelles à des stations de radio locales. Cette association entretient avec les organisations de presse d'autres partenariats qui facilitent la circulation de magazines et leur diffusion.

Activities

AFEM / SK performs or has performed the following projects with various partners:

- "Reports of sexual violence in the territories of Walungu, Kabare and Uvira" with the support of ISIS WICCE

- Mobilization of rural women and strengthening their capacity for qualitative and quantitative participation in the elections of 2011 and the balance of gender relations in different sectors of community life. With the support of Diakonia

- "Institutional support and media coverage of the activities of V-DAY"

- "Training and professionalism of women journalists" with the support of NED "National Endowment for Democracy" from March 2010 to February 2011.

- "Mobilization of rural women and strengthening their capacity for qualitative and quantitative participation in the elections of 2011 and the balance of gender relations in different sectors of the community. "With the support of Diakonia

- "Reports on gender, good governance and sexual violence in the territories of Kalehe, Uvira and Walungu" with financial support from NCA (Norwegian Church Aid) from May to October 2008.

- "Participation of Women and professionalism of women journalists" with financial support from DIAKONIA. From July 2009 to June 2011

- "Awareness campaign on the fight against sexual violence in the media" with the support of CORDAID.

- "Education for rural women's rights and good governance" with the support of the Swedish organization Diakonia. March 2008 to March 2009 (possible extension until 2010)

- "Reports on gender, good governance and sexual violence in the territories of Kalehe, Uvira and Walungu" with financial support from NCA (Norwegian Church Aid) from May to October 2008.

- "Reports of sexual violence in the territories of Walungu, Kabare and Uvira" with the support of ISIS WICCE, 2008

- Campaign "Challenging the silence: the media against sexual violence" from March 2006 to date with the support of LOLA MORA (radio shows, workshops, advocacy before the International Criminal Court in The Hague)

- "Producing radio within 16 days of activism to fight against sexual violence" with the support of the organization TROCAIRE in December 2007.

- "Awareness of rural women on issues of local elections in the DRC", with the support of the PPI in July 2007

- "Exchange of experience of women in the media in Rwanda and DR Congo" with the support of LOLA MORA organization, 2007.

- "Awareness of rural women in the democratization process in RD.Congo" with the support of the PPI in July 2006 to June 2007
- Institutional support by the Institut Panos Paris from 2006 to 2007

In addition, AFEM / SK offers its services since 2008 for media companies and NGOs (eg in October 2008, covering 80 years of FOMULAC Katana)