The Congolese Women’s Association, Drumbeats from Africa, celebrated Woman’s Day this year by organizing a meeting to protest violence against women. The meeting was held in the assembly hall of the Montecitorio building, Rome–the same building in which the Italian Parliament convenes.
During the encounter, which revolved around the theme, Rape Kills, but So Does Silence, the participants discussed the possibility of setting up a criminal court to punish persons convicted of rape–an act of violence that the Democratic Republic of the Congo uses as a weapon of war.
One of the guest speakers for the occasion was Sr. Pelagie Banze, a Congolese Daughter of St. Paul, who offered the group her testimony concerning rape victims in her country.
The meeting in Rome was held contemporaneously with a similar gathering in Paris, France, organized by the Ruptures Association, which in 2013 launched a campaign coordinated by 52 women asking for the creation of the afore-mentioned criminal court to defend rape victims.
