ARE YOU AN UNDECIDED VOTER? HERE'S A PLUG FOR PANZI

Here is some more information on the background of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the sexual violence and mass rapes and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiave's Panzi Project to help out the one hospital down there which is assisting these women and girls who have been brutally violated.

Background on Conflict in the Congo

The violent civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) originated in 1996 in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide and the resulting destabilization of the surrounding region, dubbed the African World War. The conflict has claimed the lives of over 4 million people, over ten times the
number killed in Darfur, Sudan, making this the most destructive war in recent African history. Despite the
signing of peace agreements and the election of a new government, the violence and insecurity continue, particularly in Eastern DRC, with armed militia exerting local political influence in the largely un-policed regions of Eastern
DRC.

A major feature of this conflict has been the use of sexual violence and rape as a weapon of war. In some regions of Eastern DRC, as many as 70% of girls and women between the ages of ten and thirty have been raped or sexually mutilated. Despite public outcry and multiple NGO and UN programs to address this widespread atrocity, thousands of women suffer the physical and emotional trauma of rape, which
leaves many rejected by their communities and forced to leave their families. The morbidity and mortality due to gender based violence and rape has not been adequately
addressed, the abuses continue, and there are few medical, social, psychological or legal resources for victims of abuse.

The Panzi Hospital

The Panzi Hospital is a 334-bed hospital in south Kivu Province, DRC, established in 1999 in response to the atrocities being committed on the population of Bukavu during the conflict. Although Panzi is a full
service hospital, the overwhelming majority of patients are victims of sexual abuse seeking surgical and medical treatment. The center accepts 10 to 12 new rape victims daily, and it is not uncommon for there to be 450 sexual assault victims admitted to the hospital at any given time.

Despite the hight volume of rape victims, Panzi Hospital has only one specialty trained gynecologic surgeon, Dr. Denis Mukwege. Dr. Mukwege has been at the hospital since 1999 and estimates that he treats about 3600 rape victims annually. Many of the women have developed fistulas and much of Dr. Mukwege’s work has focused
on genital and pelvic reconstruction.

HHI’s Activities

Surgical Support for Survivors

In May 2007, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) launched a pilot program to build the clinical capacity of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, DRC. This program focuses on the surgical treatment and management of fistulas and other gynecologic sequelae of rape and atrocities associated with the ongoing conflict in the eastern region of the DRC. A team of two HHI surgeons, accompanied by a photographer, traveled to Bukavu in May 2007, where they observed pelvic reconstruction and fistula repair surgeries and began a needs assessment of the hospital to perform gynecologic surgery and complete the needs assessment.

The project will promote high level surgical care by establishing a surgical exchange and training program with the staff of Panzi Hospital. HHI has partnered with academic institutions such as Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Johns Hopkins Hospital and University of Illinois to provide
general gynecologic surgeons and gynecologic sub-specialists in urogynecology and pelvic reconstructive surgery to assist Dr. Mukwege. The aim of this project will be to
train Congolese physicians in both general gynecologic surgery and in critical procedures in fistula repair and pelvic reconstruction.

Legal Support for Survivors

A second component of the program enlists faculty and graduate students at Harvard in an assessment of the legal context in which
sexual assaults and war crimes take place. This aspect of the program aims to strengthen the legal climate in the greater Bukavu area with respect to prevention and prosecution of these crimes.

Addressing Root Causes of Mass Rape

The Panzi Project is part of HHI’s Gender-Based Violence Initiative, a program that addresses the root causes and consequences of gender-based violence in war. Recent research and recommendations by HHI investigators on the topic of rape as a weapon of war have shaped
international policy and informed the humanitarian community’s understanding of
why mass atrocities occur.