[DR Congo] On November 29, the world celebrates Women’s Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) Day. On this occasion, Protection International (PI) is pleased to explain more about the challenges that WHRDs face daily in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), especially in the eastern provinces— where women and girls have continued to bear the brunt of over two decades of endemic armed conflict.

In March 2021, Protection International interviewed several Congolese women human rights defenders during the launch of the DR Congo’s Coalition of WHRDs. In this video, the core women behind the initiative explain the reasons why they created a new protection network for WHRDs. PI supported the creation of this network and continues to provide technical support for their activities.

Since its launch, this new network has played a critical role in empowering women with knowledge on critical skills—such as developing physical security measures, protection best practices, advocacy initiatives, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding. It has served as a bridge to advance discussions between WHRDs and Congolese authorities concerning the improvement of public policies and the protection of HRDs.

The creation of the Coalition of WHRDs in the DR Congo is part of the project “Empowerment and Protection of Women Human Rights Defenders to Contribute to Civil Crisis Prevention, Conflict Resolution and Peace-Building in the Democratic Republic of Congo” and is made possible by the funding from the German Federal Foreign Office via the Zivik Program.

A documentary by Protection International.

Read more about The Dire Working Environment for Women Human Rights Defenders in DR Congo and watch our documentary.