Justine Masika Bihamba & Eve Ensler

Nominated by: Pamela O'Leary (Bihamba) and an Anonymous OneWorlder (Ensler)

Sexual violence has increasingly been used as a tactic of the brutal war between the army and various rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Between June 2006 and May 2007, a humanitarian organization working in the region identified nearly 13,000 survivors of sexual violence -- over 4,200 of them were children. The overall numbers are undoubtedly much much higher.

Justine Masika Bihamba © WORLD-WIDE ASIAN-EURASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS FORUM

Sexual violence in the DRC has been labeled "the worst in the world," but Justine Masika Bihamba, who has been working to support women in the country since 1990, has never faltered in her drive to promote peace and human rights from the grassroots level.

In 2007, Bihamba worked around the clock organizing community workshops and listening centers, granting loans, and helping victims of sexual violence attain psychological, social, medical, and legal support. Bihamba also runs a grassroots collective, Synergie des Femmes pour les Victimes de Violence Sexuelle, that has assisted more than 1,800 women and girls, and that continues to sustain 100 victims of sexual violence.

Seemingly fearless, Bihamba has even confronted the Congolese Judiciary about the culture of impunity regarding the widespread incidence of rape and other forms of sexual violence.

"Because of her extreme compassion and commitment to the women of the DRC, Justine is choosing to accept all personal risks and continue her work in the DRC."
- Pamela O'Leary, who nominated Bihamba

In October, six armed men broke into her house, tied up her family members, and sexually assaulted one of her daughters. Although Bihamba is now seeking to evacuate her family to Canada, she refuses to leave the women she works with in Goma, DRC.

"Because of her extreme compassion and commitment to the women of the DRC, Justine is choosing to accept all personal risks and continue her work in the DRC," said Pamela O'Leary in nominating Bihamba.

Luckily, Bihamba is not alone in her plight to end gender-based violence against women in the DRC.

Eve Ensler, a feminist and playwright best known for her piece, "The Vagina Monologues," has also focused her global human rights work on the DRC in 2007.

Over the past year, Ensler traveled to the DRC to highlight the plight of Congolese women and found that "nothing I ever experienced felt as ghastly, terrifying, and complete as the sexual torture and attempted destruction of the female species here."

Eve Ensler © VDAY.ORG

Following this visit, Ensler launched the campaign, "Stop Raping Our Greatest Resource, Power To The Women And Girls Of The Democratic Republic Of Congo," in coordination with the UN and local groups and activists. This movement "calls for an end to impunity for sexual violence, for measures to ensure that state armed forces and police do not perpetrate sexual violence against women and girls, and for the full implementation of national laws that protect and empower women."

V-Day, Ensler's non-profit organization and international crusade to bring an end to violence against women and girls, will also celebrate its tenth anniversary this year. The movement encourages people around the world to stage performances of "The Vagina Monologues," hold gatherings, show films, and use other creative mediums to educate and transform social attitudes regarding violence against women.

Click here to stay up to date with the latest on women's issues worldwide from OneWorld's "Gender Matters" edition of Perspectives online magazine. You can subscribe to our RSS feed on gender there, too.

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THE OTHER FINALISTS...

Vicky Tauli-Corpuz & the world's indigenous rights campaigners

Betty Makoni

Rajendra Pachauri & the scientific community and governments contributing to the IPCC

Justine Masika Bihamba & Eve Ensler

Burma's Monks

Molly Melching & the women of Senegal and West Africa

Vandana Shiva

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