Sonke is at the “Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict” in London – it is described as the largest ever gathering on this subject. Today, together with Promundo-US, we launch or new IMAGES study in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which reveals high levels of gender-based violence, as well as the existence of ongoing effects of conflict on couple and family relations. This survey, carried out with 1,500 men and women in eastern DRC, found that 22% of women were forced to have sex or were raped as part of the conflict there, as were some 10% of men. In addition, more than 50% of women had experienced sexual violence from a husband or male partner. Nearly a third of women and men reported an unwanted sexual experience as children:
If you’re at the Summit, join us at our events, or our booth. Here’s who, where, when and what: