Can justice come to Kavumu? (Opinion) #JHedzWorlD

And yet three years after the first attacks, the abductions persist. The latest assault came just this month when a 9-year-old girl was taken from her home and raped. And ominously, a local civil society activist who had reported on these crimes was killed this month in Kavumu.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has received tens of millions of dollars in aid and international efforts to support its tattered judicial system. Its leaders have pledged to banish the country’s terrible epithet, “rape capital of the world,” through investigations and prosecutions for rape, and support to victims. The highly touted mobile courts that bring justice to remote areas where the war-related violence has been most severe have indeed prosecuted and convicted a handful of perpetrators of mass atrocities, including officers of the armed forces. But for the families of Kavumu, justice seems far off. We were told that many parents no longer want to take their cases to court because they have given up hope.

Yet there is finally cause for hope, delayed as it is, as a group of committed and competent Congolese professionals may finally be able to bring their skills and the full force of the law to these cases.

For four years, my colleagues and I have worked collaboratively in South Kivu province to support an unprecedented network of doctors, police investigators, lawyers and judges who respond to victims of sexual assault. Our Congolese medical partners have strengthened their techniques and practices for forensic exams and documentation, and have developed strong working relationships with the specialized police who focus on sexual violence and child protection. They have also collaborated with prosecutors to assure that evidence is relayed effectively and that the correct terms and medical forms are used and understood. They’ve promoted practices to ensure that, at every stage of a prosecution, the survivors of sexual assault are treated with dignity and in safety.

Together, they represent a small but growing group of engaged medical and law enforcement professionals who are pioneers in this collaborative effort to obtain justice for victims such as those in Kavumu. But they need to be empowered to take on these complex cases. At a special meeting this month of civilian and military prosecutors fromthe entire province, the serial rapes in Kavumu were designated as a top priority. Such a decision can at last bring the sorely needed political will and investigative resources to bear in these appalling cases.

When parents put their daughters to bed at night, they should expect to find them there in the morning, safe and whole, in Kavumu, and everywhere.

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Can justice come to Kavumu? (Opinion) #JHedzWorlD