SIGN IT/ SEND IT: BAN-KI MOON – UN HEADQUARTERS – FIRST AVE at 46th ST – NEW YORK, NY 10017 – USA

The scale of the recent

attacks stunned even
seasoned observers of
Congo, where rape has
become a commonplace
weapon of war. More
than 15,000 rapes were
reported in the country
in both 2008 and 2009.

Mass rapes have been ongoing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for years.
Among the primary perpetrators of this crime, mostly committed against women but also
against men and children, are government employees: the soldiers of the FARDC (Congolese
army).

The government of the DRC has done nothing to curb these mass rapes against women in a country that is
now known as the “rape capital of the world.” Yet the United Nations has not only abandoned its mandate on
the ground by failing to prevent or intervene in these mass rapes, but it has further insulted and humiliated
Congolese women by seating the government of the DRC on both of the UN’s women’s organizations charged
with setting global gender policy recommendations: the UN Commission on the Status of Women, and UN
Women.

The rapist government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has no business working to set gender policy
for women worldwide. We demand justice for our sisters in Congo, and for women worldwide: expel the
Democratic Republic of the Congo from the UN Commission on the Status of Women and UN Women’s
organizations immediately!

"This is our cry for help. We are in pain," said Abedi, to

cheers and applause. "You are our fellow women and we
believe our enemies wouldn't hesitate to rape you if they
were given the opportunity. They are merciless."

– The Guardian, 12 October 2010