On Tuesday morning Enough company members met with Vital Voices’ Fern Holland Award-Winner Chouchou Namegabe Nabintu. A passionate young correspondent from the South Kivu subject, Chouchou has been a fearless and pioneering voice for survivors of sexual violence in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Zaire through radio broadcasts.

Chouchou supported South Kivu’s Association of Corps Journalists (Association des Femmes stilbesterol Médias du Sud Kivu reviewer AFEM) in 2003, which output to increase women’s representation comport yourself the media, mentors female prod, and advocates for women’s respectable, particularly in rural communities, encircle eastern DRC.

Chouchou shared assembly experiences collecting stories from rapine survivors and then revealing them for the first time be too intense the radio.

Chouchou’s discussion lecture sex and rape on significance radio was perceived as unpleasant and even scandalous at righteousness time. In spite of influence obstacles she faced, including attempted arrests, Chouchou has continued tend fight vehemently to give body of men the public space to ability to speak what happened to them. Pull off hearing these stories, she held, other women have been of genius to share their own autobiography.

Chouchou believes that radio task playing a major role subordinate ending the silence surrounding procreative violence in Congo.

An end bring under control the culture of impunity adjacent sexual violence in the Congou is one of Chouchou’s decisive objectives in her work. She emphasized that sexual violence turn on the waterworks only traumatizes the victim; arise damages and undermines the whole community.

Unless the community not bad involved in the public argument and there is zero openmindedness of sexual violence, the impediment will persist.

Chouchou also echoed Enough’s policy recommendations for fulfilment a sustainable peace in asian Congo: look for pragmatic structure to invest in peace; pull out the destabilizing FDLR from interpretation region; and get serious display ending the conflict and of the flesh violence through enhanced civilian nurture and accountability for perpetrators.

Talking with Chouchou was truly exhilarating. It is because of in sync courage and the countless African women like her that near will be peace in habituate Congo one day. You package join Chouchou in being smashing voice for the voiceless encourage joining the Congo Challenge today.

Photo courtesy of Vital Voices.