During my latter years in Kampala (UGK Province), I belonged to an interreligious/intercultural group for dialogue. It was during the wars which shook the country for so long. The group decided to have a ‘demonstration’ for peace, in the park located in the heart of the city, at rush hour one evening.
"Amid large-scale atrocities and widespread abuses across the world, Human Rights Day should rally more concerted global action to promote the timeless principles that we have collectively pledged to uphold. In a year that marks the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, we can draw inspiration from the history of the modern human rights movement, which emerged from the Second World War..."
Fuelled by competition for rich minerals, war, violence and instability have ravaged the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for nearly two decades. With the devastation of the economy and infrastructure, impunity has reigned. Sexual and other forms of violence against women, particularly displaced women, are commonplace. Mapendo is just one of the survivors; this is her story.
