10 December, International Human Rights Day, women from the Democratic Republic of Congo, victims of one of the most serious humanitarian crisis worldwide are coming to The Hague, house of the International Criminal Court, to present their demands. 

Herewith WorldCom Foundation and LolaMora productions invite you to attend the presentation in the Netherlands of "Challenging the Silence" a media campaign against sexual violence, together with Cordaid, Radio Nederland Wereldroemp, Trócaire and Norwegians´ People Aid (Angolese Section).   

The meeting is at Nieuwspoort Venue in Den Haag between 14:00 - 14:50 p.m.

Between 1998 and 2003, more than 40.000 women had been raped in the East of DRC alone. Today, although a formal peace was signed in 2002, peace for the east part of DRC was not assured and that’s means the number of raped women continuing; violence against women in DRC is a security issue.

The Association of Women Journalists in South Kivu (East of DRC) AFEM-SK joined the Worldcom-LolaMora media campaign in 2006, Chouchou Namegabe, is the President. She and the jurist, Jolly Kamuntu, are coming to The Hague to presents the demands and recommendations of the victims to the International Criminal Court, the Dutch Government and the European organizations. 

Also coming, Godelieve Mukasarasi, President Of SEVOTA, a Rwandese organisation of women victims of sexual crimes committed during the 1994 genocide.

An educational DVD in four languages (English, French, Spanish and Portuguese) that has been produced containing training materials, media productions and testimonials from women in the Great Lake area and background information on international law on gender based violence etc. will be presented during this meeting.   
After the 10th December, this DVD can be used as training material by other organisations that also work in the field of gender based violence and women empowerment.
 
Immediately after these presentations at 15:00 we shall move into two simultaneously run radio debates that will be held at the same venue, both hosted by Radio Netherlands Worldbroadcasting service.  

December 10 PROGRAM 
 
    • 14:00- 14:45. Place: Room Wandelganger de Nieuwspoort.

The DRC and Rwandese women present their demands and recommendations to the ICC, the Dutch government and the European organizations. And presentation of the media campaign: “Challenging the Silence: media against sexual Violence”. 
Participants:  AFEM-SK (RDC)
                   Sevota
                   Cordaid
                   Human Rights International Federation (FIDH)
                   Radio Nederland Wereldomroep
                   WorldCom Foundation-LolaMora Producciones                     

    • 15:00 - 16:00. Local: Room Wandelganger de Nieuwspoort. 

Room Wandelganger nº1 a Spanish debate. Guests: 

    • Fabián O. Raimondo, Assistant Professor of Public International Law, Erasmus University School of Law.
    • Paula San Pedro, Responsible for Institutional Relations of African Humanitarian Affairs with Intermón-Oxfam, Spain.
    • Fernando Castañón, Representative of the High Commission for Human Rights with United Nations´ Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
    • Luz Piedad Caicedo, Anthropologist, Humanas Corporation, a Latin-American organization, part of the Coalition of NGO´s for the International Criminal Court.
    • Leire Otaegi, Jornalist of Worldcom Foundation-LolaMora Producciones. 

Room Wandelganger nº 2 an English debate. Guests:      

    • Ms. Fiona McKay, Chief of Victims’ Participation and Reparations Section of the Trust Fund of International Criminal Court.
    • Sr. Pierre Schori, General Director of Foundation for Foreign Affairs and Dialogue (Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior-FRIDE).
    • Ms. Chouchou Namegabe, Journalist of Radio Maendeleo, Bukavu (South Kivu Province, East of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and President of the Association of Women Journalists of South Kivu, East of DRC (AFEM-SK).
    • A represent of the Dutch Government.
 
You are most welcome to attend the presentation and the subsequent radio Debates.
 
Please feel free to pass this invitation on to others in your network that might be interested to attend this meeting.
 
For more information you can contact:  
Astrid Schipper: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   Cell: +31 (0)6 24090552
Blanca Diego: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Cell: +31 (0) 625244165
                          
Also you can follow the 10th December activities at:
www.genderjustice.net ; www.justiciadegenero.net