On 20 May 2013, 82 civil society organisations working in the DRC, including partners of the Women’s Initiatives, published an open letter to Mary Robinson, the United Nations Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa. The letter highlights recent human rights violations allegedly committed by the M23 in the Eastern DRC, including the rape of dozens of women and girls in the Rutshuru territory in recent weeks; the murder of civilians who have spoken out against M23; serious incidents of looting; and threats, abductions, and killings of human rights activists. Additionally, according to the letter, since March 2013 an increase in recruitment activities by the M23, including the forced recruitment of children have been reported.

Read the Open Letter

Lire la Lettre Ouverte

“Mary Robinson World Economic Forum 2013 crop” by World Economic Forum from Cologny, Switzerland – Cropped from File:Mary Robinson World Economic Forum 2013 (2).jpg, original source The Moral Economy: From Social Contract to Social Covenant: Mary Robinson. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.