Author: DWAG Communication

Darfur Women Action Group demanded adequate protection and dignified life for the genocide victims within Darfur and in their refuges in other countries

Today, June 20, 2014, Darfur Women Action Group along with its partners and supporters are gathering to mark this day by standing in solidarity with the victims of genocide in Darfur and the multiple crises in Sudan. We gather to call the attention of the international community to the long standing crises in Darfur and the plight of Darfur refugees who are forced to scatter to many countries around the world including many places where they face extreme hardship. We are also here to celebrate the successes and positive contributions made by Darfuri and Sudanese refugees to the advancement of their new community and to the discussion of what they can do to ease the suffering of their fellow citizens.

11 years ago, genocide began in Darfur in which mass murder, destruction of villages, and the brutal rape of women have ravaged the area and forced countless men, women, and children to abandon their land, their families, and friends seeking a safe refuge. Most Darfuris first fled to places closer to home hoping for a quick resolution to the crises and a speedy return to their loved ones.

At the start of 2013, the number of refugees around the world stood at
10.4 million. 4.8 million are registered in camps in the Middle East, and over 3 million are displaced from Darfur alone which make up 30% of the total world’s refugee population.

Despite these extremely alarming facts, we have been tirelessly advocating for peace and justice. Unfortunately, world leaders have done too little to end these crimes and sadly wecontinueto seethe political, security, and humanitarian situation in Darfur worsening every day. Today the overwhelming majority of the Darfur refugees are living in neighboring countries and the Middle East under grave conditions where women, men, and children are confronted with unspeakable suffering. A majority of refugees are young people and women-headed households who have been faced with only two options: to stay, die, and see their children die, or flee for survival and safety. Even though attacks against students and young Darfuris are intensifying in Sudan, the UNHCR, in most cases, does not prioritize the relocation of young people or provide them with education opportunities.

Today, families have been torn apart when household members are forced to live in distant countries thousands of miles away from each other.

The Darfur Women Action Group is gravely concerned, as the situation continues to deteriorate on the ground in Darfur, the number of displaced continues to increase, and the conditions of the refugees has worsened as their number continues to increase.

Today, there are uncountable numbers of Darfuri in Egypt, Libya, Jordan, Ghana, Central African Republic , Syria , Chad, and the volatile South Sudan where about305 refugee where killed in one weekduring the fight between Dinka and the Nuer. In most of the other countries, with exception of Ghana and Uganda, Darfuri refugees have been constantly threatened with death, prosecution, and forced deportation back to Sudanwhere they face long imprisonment, force disappearance, or execution. For example, in 2006 Egyptian police fired gunshots against a peaceful sit-in of Sudanese refugees in Mustafa Mahmud Stadium who were demanding help from the UNHCR, In addition to the killing of Darfuris by Egyptian security forces while crossing the border to Israel seeking better life and protection. In Libya, Darfuris continue to suffer from long-term mistreatment and exploitation; however, their condition has severely deteriorated during the uprising and the oustingt of President Gaddafi where they have been caught between opposing sides. Undocumented numbers have been killed and some have been forced to flee to the North Africa and Middle East.

Currently over 350,000 refugees have been living in Chad for more than a decade under critical humanitarian conditions and are subject to attack by the Sudanese border guards and the Chadian police whose leaders have allied themselves with President Bashir. The competition over scarce resources between the refugees and the Chadian population has led to many more problems for the refugees. In Jordan, the refugees are constantly deported back to Sudan where they face prosecution, If they are permitted to stay, they are not allowed to work in order to sustain themselves, yetthey have often not been provided assistance by UNHCR. In the event that they are found working, they will be imprisoned, tortured, and sent back to Sudan by Jordanian Authorities to face the violence that forced them to fleein the first place.

We are appreciative of what the United States and other countries have done to resettle some refugees and provide them with protection. Nonetheless, the world has done far too little to assist the Darfuris who are fleeing a genocide. The world’s response has not been proportional to the great magnitude of the crisis and its impact on the people of Darfur.

Today the suffering of Darfuri refugees has gone far too long. Darfuri refugees have been victimized over a period of eleven years with very limited options for survival. While fleeing attacks by their own government, they still face a great deal of suffering in the places where they seek refuge, especially in the neighboring countries where Sudan has political and economic influence. We have been hearing grave concerns about the way in which UNHCR has treated Darfuri refugees particularly in Egypt and Jordan. In Egypt there is evidence of families who have been given waiting periods for initial interviews of approximately 3-5 years , and for others some time their cases have taken up to 10 years to be reviewed by the UNHCR during which they have no any kind of assistance from the UN refugee agency. This lack of assistance further traumatizes an already victimized community. In Chad, there are recent allegations that Darfuri refugees were told by the UN agencies that they will now start limiting the humanitarian assistance to the children and the most senior citizens within the camps. Depriving the helpless refugees from means of survival is immoral and it is against the principal of the international humanitarian laws upon which the United Nation was formed.

Today, we align ourselves especially with those refugees from Sudan and Darfur, who have been displaced as the result of genocide and other multiple crises in Sudan.

On this occasion we are deeply moved and strongly reminded of the tremendous impact that the genocide has caused, not just in terms of physical deaths, but also social and familial disintegration caused by the forced displacement of over 3 million people. tWe also stand in solidarity with those who are left in Darfur, imprisoned in concentration like camps where they are visible and vulnerable to attacks by the notorious Arabs Jajaweed operating under the command of the criminal Al-bashir of Sudan.

Therefore, on this World Refugee Day we DWAG call on the United States government and the member states of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to fulfill their responsibility toward the international laws that they ratified by providing adequate protection and dignified life for the genocide victims within Darfur andtherefugees in other countries.

We demand that protection of refugees and their relocation must be prioritized by all actors especially in places where the their security and safety are threatened by conflict, suchas inChad and South Sudan

We demand that the UNSC provide adequate resources to UNHCR to provide protection and survival mechanisms to refugees, and to establish measures through which UNHCR can expedite their relocation process when and where it is necessary.

We strongly demand that the UNSC conduct investigations into the allegations of misconduct of the UNHCR in Chad, Egypt, Jordan, and especially in South Sudan where UNHCR refused to recognize Darfuris as refugees, which has endangered their very survival.

We call on all people of conscience to speak up for Darfuri refugees and internally displaced people, and demand that the US and the international community fulfill the above demands to protect the vulnerable Darfuri refugees wherever they are.

Niemat Ahmadi, President of Darfur Women Action Group

About Darfur Women Action Group

DWAG, works for the empowerment of the affected communities, to amplify their voices, and provide opportunities for the international community to hear directly from the most affected.

“Act Now to End Violence Against Women” was the theme of the recent global summit that was hosted by British government in London and was largely attended by people from all walks of life, including global intergovernmental institutions such as the UN and other nongovernmental organizations. While the summit was an important milestone toward addressing VAW (violence against women) worldwide, we believe there is a clear indifference in the world response to the plight of women. Unless there are practical steps taken and an inclusive approach that can speak to every single woman in conflict, or if the vicious attacks against women in Sudan are addressed, the campaign will only remain slogan.

Rape and Murder of a Woman in a Darfur Camp

While the world leaders and women’s rights advocates were meeting in London and debating how to address violence against women in conflict, sadly a Darfuri woman, Kltoma, was brutally raped by the Janjaweed militias and murdered[1] not far from Kalma camp3 where she had lived for years. However, there was no mention of this at the summit. Sudan, where the government policy and laws reinforce violence against women such as flogging women because of their choice of wearing pants and Darfur, where rape has been and still used as a weapon of war are notorious for VAW. Yet they were overlooked at one of the most significant platforms to address these issues.

Rape in Darfur is not just sporadic incidents, but it is a systematic plan by the government of Sudan and its Janjaweed militias to dehumanize, humiliate and kill the will of women in Darfur. It has continued to devastate women and girls for the eleven years of the crises in Darfur. It is imperative that the global summit includes the Darfur and Sudan in its priority agenda otherwise the campaign will not effectively eliminate a large amount of sexual violence in conflict in the world.

It is quite clear that because of the indifference and disparity in the way the world responds to the plight of women being raped and attacked, VAW has continued unremittingly in Darfur and Sudan.

Death Sentence for Meriam

By now, many have heard of the injustice that has befallen in Sudan concerning Meriam Ibrahim being sentenced to death for apostasy and adultery—apostasy because she has supposedly abandoned the Muslim faith and adultery because in Sudan’s Islamic law, Muslim women are not allow to marry non-Muslims (her husband is Christian). What makes it even worse is that Meriam recently had to give birth in prison because of her death sentence. The global community mostly agrees with the statement made by Amnesty International calling the decision “abhorrent”.

While there has been a large outpouring of support for her, the issue still remains of the injustice that she has experienced for expressing her right to religious freedom. Meriam is being persecuted for refusing to recant her Christian faith. However, the government does not see it this way. They believe that Meriam has abandoned the Islamic faith, even though she expresses that her mother, due to the lack of her father’s presence, raised her as a Christian during her childhood[2].

What this whole dilemma does is raise the debate of Sudan needing to allow not only religious freedom, but allowing more freedoms to women in general. Sudan has ratified the UN conventions meaning, they agreed to defend the concept of freedom of religion[3]. In going against this, it is another way of Sudan displaying their lack of willingness to develop as a state in the modern world. It also is an issue of oppressing women—if Meriam has testified in court that she was raised Christian, then there is no issue with her marriage and, therefore, she should not be persecuted. It is a problem of Sudanese suppression of women’s rights. Because the court wants to believe that she was not raised Christian and they want to believe she is lying, they treat her as such. Through all this we have found Sudan has problems in their justice system, in allowing expression of religious freedom, and in accepting that women should be given equal rights as citizens.

As always we stand vigilant to defend women’s rights. Darfur Women Action Group joined rallies outside of the White House and the Sudanese Embassy this past Thursday and Friday (June 12 and 13th) and stood in solidarity with her plight and to demand protection for Meriam, to have her death sentence overturned, and for her and her children to be granted protection by the United States government. Her children and husband are U.S. citizens and as a woman at risk of death who is a part of that family, she deserves protection and support from all world leaders.

What is happening in Sudan is the responsibility of the global community. Allowing a vicious government to continue deliberately committing atrocities against its own people and direct its most brutal attacks against women is immoral. Because of the inaction from the international community to protect women in Darfur from attacks against them it has continued with impunity. It is worth noting that the Global Summit to End Violence Against Women has overlooked the women of Darfur and excluded Sudan in general. The hard reality is that heinous crimes of raping a and murdering a woman continue, and sadly those who gather at the global summit have not expressed outrage or have even noticed what had happened in Darfur’s Kalma Camp

In order for the global summit and to succeed in completing its priority agendas and for their campaign to be effective, Darfur and Sudan should not be an exception.

By Niemat Ahmadi, President of DWAG and Genevieve Turcott, Outreach and Government Relations Intern

[1] http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/south-darfur-woman-raped-and-murdered

[2] http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27424064

[3] https://www.radiodabanga.org/node/74700

Recently, in terms of genocidal actions, one of the most prevalent weapons an oppressor group uses to torture their female victims is rape. While is it widely known that rape is used as a weapon in genocide, it is confusing to some about why this could be conceivably worse than the other methods of torment that Darfuri women are being subjected to. While rape targets women mainly, it affects the entire community that the women belong to. In Darfur, the Janjaweed, a group who attacks the Darfuris, uses rape because it is the most effective way for them to be able to demoralize the women of the African tribes. They wait until the women are isolated from a group, usually when they are collecting firewood or water. There are, more often than not, cases of women being attacked in refugee camps, which is even more horrific considering Darfuri women come to these camps to find a safe haven from their destroyed villages. Eric Reeves has categorized a good portion of the reports from Radio Dabanga to give an idea of the types of attacks occurring.

By placing this target on women, the Janjaweed and their partners are committing what is known as gendercide. Gendercide is a term that was created by Mary Anna Warren to highlight the outstandingly large number of female civilian deaths that are occurring throughout the world. She did not want to make it a separate category within genocide, but rather wanted to make sure that people were aware of the horrible crimes that are perpetrated toward women. Gendercide is not just for women, usually, the men are the main victims, but what it highlights is a type of mass killing that focuses solely on one gender of that society[1]. An idea that is similar to the term gendercide is gender based violence, or GBV. This is an issue that spans the spectrum of not just genocide, but of violence in genera towards any gender for any reason.

The consequence of rape is that is affects the whole societal system of the victims. It is what is called a “social death”, one that does not physically kill the victims, but makes them shells of people, scarring them mentally and forcing them to live with the horrible memory. Genocide is extremely personal, and the perpetrators take extra care to make sure they scar a society to a point that they will never recover. How then, can these women be helped and what is the right way to protect them, or if they have already been attacked, what is the best way they can be comforted and helped to overcome the trauma? The first priority is protection. This will be needed in both the local villages and around the refugee camps, both places where women seem to be targeted the most. The next important element is listening to the victim. The more we can understand the struggles of the victim, the more we are able to help them recover in the post-genocide era. For technicality purposes, a report from Harvard University actually was able to categorize steps that would be the best way to approach helping the female rape victims in Darfur. These steps cover elements such as setting up places in the camps where the women can safely report if they have been raped to gynecological services for women who may be pregnant as a result of the rape.

It is so important to understand the gravity that the impact of rape has on the women who are subjected to it in Darfur. One of the main issues Darfur Women Action Group looks to address is violence against women and the use of rape as a weapon of war, and while we may never be able to understand what these women have gone through, if we can comprehend how it does affect them, we can better help empower them to overcome the effects of the genocide.

By Genevieve Turcott, Outreach and Government Relations Intern

Genevieve is a student at James Madison University majoring in International Affairs and minoring in Humanitarian Affairs. She has an immense passion for human rights, especially ending genocide, and global development through education.

[1] Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction 2nd ed., Adam Jones, pp. 323

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Niemat Ahmadai

E-MAIL: niemat@darfurwomenaction.org , Telephone: 804 439 2022

Abdalla Babikir, Telephone: 202 369 1664

Rally on April 25, 2014 in Washington DC – To mark the Global Day for Action against Genocide in Darfur.

The Sudanese diaspora, along with other human rights groups, demand action to end the ongoing and escalating genocide in Darfur.

Washington, DC—The Sudanese diaspora and human rights groups will gather for a rally in Washington DC to express concerns and demand an urgent action to end the ongoing and recently escalating genocidal attacks in Darfur. This week Sudanese activists from all over the world will hold events, rallies, protests, and forums to raise awareness of the ongoing and escalating genocide in Darfur. The events, begun earlier in South Dakota, will conclude on Friday, April 25th in Washington DC and on April 26th in Toronto Canada. Other events will continue throughout May to draw the world’s attention to the rising violence in Darfur. Please join the Darfur Women Action Group and the Marginalized Sudanese Forum of North America on the sidewalk in front of the White House from noon-2pm for a protest on April 25th.

Since late February, Darfur has witnessed a new wave of bloody attacks, mass killings, rape, and displacement of thousands as the government-sponsored Janjaweed militias ignited a new surge of violence in Darfur. There have been more reports of intensified aerial bombings by the Sudanese government, particularly in eastern Jebel Marra and other areas in North Darfur, resulting in mass displacement. Recent UN reports indicate that the number of displaced people at the beginning of 2014 was around 215,000; however, many aid agencies have been barred from reaching communities in need, so this is a low estimate.

The Sudanese government has been accused of carrying out these mass atrocities. Its President, Omar al-Bashir, stands accused by the world of the most heinous crimes – genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Despite the two warrants for his arrest by the UN International Criminal Court, Bashir remains at large as a fugitive of justice who continues to commit crimes and is free to travel and participate in international and regional forums. Many of the world’s leaders have remained silent in light of the recent violence in Darfur.

We are demanding that the Obama administration vigorously lead the UN Security Council to ensure the following demands are met: Investigation into crimes committed in Darfur, investigation into UNAMID’s ineffectiveness and the cover-up of Al- Bashir’s crimes and lack of adequate reporting. We also demand pressure for unimpeded humanitarian access and accountability for al-Bashir and his sponsored Janjaweed militatias along with support for the ICC to bring the criminals to justice. In addition, we demand pressure on UNHCR and other UN forces and agencies to provide protection and assistance needed to the Darfuri refuges in South Sudan, Chad and other countries where they remain vulnerable to attacks by multiple actors. On April

25th, people around the world will stand together with the people of Darfur to raise awareness of the ongoing violence in Darfur. Witnesses from the diaspora community will be available for interviews For more information about events in your area and how you can get involved please visit www.darfurwomenactiongroup.org . If unable to attend, please send a message of solidarity to info@darfurwomenaction.org

On this day, the Darfuri and Sudanese diaspora, along with friends of Darfur and Sudan worldwide, will be holding events, including rallies, protests, forums, workshops and panel discussions in the United States, Europe, Canada, Africa and Australia to draw the world’s attention to and to protest the unfolding genocide in Darfur today.

Since February 28, 2014, Darfur has witnessed a new wave of bloody attacks, comprising mass killing, rape, and destruction of entire villages and camps, resulting in massive new displacement and loss of countless innocent lives. The government-sponsored Janjaweed militias – Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – are currently waging a new surge of violence in North, South, East and Central Darfur aimed at exterminating the remainder of the survivors of the 11 year long genocide; people who have continued to endure an unimaginable horror and dehumanization, while struggling to survive.

Intensified air bombing, particularly in eastern Jebel Marra and other areas in North Darfur, are occurring daily. Recent UN reports indicate that the number of displaced people at the beginning of 2014 was about 215,000 – and this is only from the places where the UN has some access. However, most of the affected communities are blocked by the government militias. In addition, the humanitarian organizations are threatened, expelled or prevented from reaching the needy.

As you all know, President Bashir of Sudan stands accused by the world of the most heinous crimes – genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued two warrants for his arrest with 10 counts. However, Bashir remains at large as a fugitive of justice who has continued to commit crimes while free to travel and participate in international and regional forums, where he is constantly cheered and welcomed as an ordinary diplomat

In spite of the longstanding suffering and the new surge of violence against our people in Darfur, world leaders remain silent or, at best, pay lip service with words of condemnation. This indicates that we are currently living in a very dangerous world where genocide can be and has, in fact, been tolerated to continue for more than a decade. Genocide is the worse type of human destruction and we believe that human destruction anywhere affects our humanity everywhere. Therefore, we are appealing to you all as ordinary citizens who are fighting against genocide to join us, become a voice, strengthen and amplify the voices of Darfuri survivors by speaking up for the people of Darfur and hold your leaders accountable for their inaction to end genocide or pursue accountability for these serious crimes that continue to be committed by al-Bashir and his government-sponsored Janjaweed militias.

Please Join Us

Details about the address and the places of the events will be forthcoming; stay tuned

Dear Supporters:

We are less than 3 weeks away from our exciting national action symposium, Women and Genocide in the 21st Century – and it promises to be an extraordinary event that you definitely do not want to miss.

·         You will have a unique opportunity to meet a man of truth, the former head of the United Nations in Sudan and first-hand witness of the genocide attacks in Darfur, Dr. Mukesh Kapila. Dr. Kapila was the Special Advisor to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva and was also head of the UK Government’s Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs Department. In 2003, he was honored by Queen Elizabeth II and named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his international service. Driven by fury, he consciously and courageously ended his career/ability to work with both the UN and UK Government in order to bring light to the atrocities taking place in Darfur. His book, Against the Tide of Evil, provides an eye-opening, moving, thought-provoking, powerful, and passionate personal account of the Darfur genocide. He has recently joined the advisory board of DWAG. Watch an introduction and read about his extraordinary book at: www.mukeshkapila.org/book/about-book.html. We are honored to have him join us to share his own experience with genocide in Darfur.

·        You will also meet Emmanuel Itier, a member of DWAG’s Board and director of the powerful documentary FEMME, Women Healing the World, which will be shown at the Symposium. An experienced feature film producer, Emmanuel Itier directed the thrillerTell Me No Lies (2000), the horror film Scarecrow (2002), and produced the film Wildflower (1999) in addition to a number of other pictures. He also directed the Peace documentary The Invocation narrated by Sharon Stone, which features Desmond Tutu, His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, and many other worldwide peace activists. We are very excited to hear him discuss why he became a women’s rights activist and how women can contribute to the betterment of our world despite being victimized. Watch the official trailer for FEMME, Women Healing the World at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjYopoPo55A.

·       Hear the incredible story of El Fadel Arbab, a Darfuri genocide survivor, who was only 12 years old when he was exposed to the horror and tragedy that has befallen Darfur. You will also meet a group of wonderful high school students from Portland, Maine and see their outstanding art exhibit, ” The Beauty of Darfur and the Tragedy of Genocide” inspired by El Fadel’s story. Learn how the students were inspired by this extremely brave individual and how they are creatively turning his story into a beautiful work of art at:

http://www.wcsh6.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1253347134001.

·         Meet the Advocacy and Women’s Rights Specialist for the UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict, Letitia Anderson. Ms. Anderson helps develop a comprehensive advocacy strategy to encourage the Security Council to address sexual violence as a matter of international peace and security and to ensure that sexual violence is considered an issue of high priority to the Human Rights Council. She is also building a partnership base for the “Stop Rape Now” campaign. Prior to joining the UN, Ms. Anderson worked as Policy Adviser on Women and War to the ICRC in Geneva and has undertaken field research in DRC, Liberia, and Rwanda, and is author of two reports on IHL published by the ICRC. We are honored to have her with us to address sexual violence in war zones and how it affects women and their entire communities and what needs to be done to immediately respond to emergencies in addition to long-term needs to enable them to overcome tragedy.

·         Listen to the remarkable stories of women survivors from Rwanda, the Congo and Darfur. These stories will not focus on the aspect of women victimization and pain but on courage and resilience during their experiences of unimaginable suffering.

·         Meet a diverse group of civil society leaders from various regions of Sudan, who will be articulating their vision and priorities for sustainable change in their home land.

·          Contribute to the development of a strategy for sustainable change in Sudan and learn about DWAG’s unique approach to genocide prevention that will be utilized to end genocide not only in Sudan, but around the world.

·          Help build the movement that will educate, engage, and empower the affected communities and enabling them to become strong forces in combating genocide.

·          Meet with your Congressional Representatives and tell them what YOU care about and what THEY can do to help the suffering people of Sudan.

Come to the Symposium and leave with a wealth of knowledge that will help you as you advocate ending genocide in Sudan and around the world. We will be honored to have you join us and to work together toward ending genocide.

Join us for the Women & Genocide National Symposium 2013

On behalf of DWAG’s team:

Norrie Kurtz

Niemat Ahmadi

Dominique Perez

Brenda Tyler

“It’s about action, not words”—these were part of the opening remarks from Elizabeth Blackney, media strategist and advocate, at the 2013 Darfur Women Action Group (DWAG) Symposium. Indeed there were a lot of words shared over the two day conference, but there was an even more urgent call to action by the many awe-inspiring panelists including women activists from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Syria, student activists, a UN representative, and many more.

The conference opened with remarks from the Darfur Women Action Group’s Chairwoman who reminded us that the species cannot survive if genocide is tolerated. This makes the appeal to end genocide personal, because it is true. Genocide is a crime against humanity, and therefore it is a crime against you and me. Niemat Ahmadi, founder of DWAG, gave a moving speech about her experiences in Darfur and provided some history about the creation of DWAG as a way to empower local voices to enact meaningful change. Niemat spoke powerfully as she reminded us that “Darfur is an example of the world’s inaction”. Equally as abhorrent is the continued use of sexual violence against women which is used as a weapon of war.

The conference got underway with a powerful session which included women survivors of various conflicts as well as other experts. Maisoon Ibrahim-Ateem, Darfuri and current Sudan Atlas Corps fellow, described the stigmatization of rape and reminded us that genocide is currently happening in Darfur where women are still systematically raped. Darfur women who are attacked are often abandoned by their communities and families. Rape not only inflicts physical and psychological wounds, but it tears the entire community apart and this makes it an “efficient” way to terrorize populations. While rape has been used as a weapon of war for many years, it is only recently that the world is beginning to recognize the severity. More is being done to take action and end the culture of impunity that exists in many conflict areas and throughout our world. Today there is a United Nations official working on sexual violence, and according to Latitia Anderson (specialist with UN Action for Sexual Violence), there are even more tools and training opportunities for peace workers to use to address these issues in communities.

Nita Evele, from Congo Global Action, interjected perspectives from another ongoing atrocity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where she claims that there are two types of ongoing genocides: one is an ethnic cleansing and the second is a genocide towards women (note, the conflict in the DR Congo is not labeled a genocide despite 5.4 million people dead). Evele reported about an even more heinous act: whole battalions are raping babies and infecting them with HIV/AIDS as part of a longer term killing plan.

Women and men are clearly targeted during times of conflict, but it is women who are often excluded from the peacemaking process. Panelists from different international and local perspectives came together to discuss this very critical issue. The panelists discussed that women are usually seen as the victims, but they should not be categorized as such. Rather, women are resilient and there need to be more spaces within the peace building arena to share their voices and perspectives on the entire peace process—not just traditional “women’s issues”. Sadly, women are often blamed for an attack, such as rape and then experience the ensuing stigma, but the message from the panelists was to turn that blame around and shame the perpetrators. In fact some communities in Darfur have opened up ways for women and men to report rapes. This helps to empower the communities and women and turns the attention and blame on the people committing such horrible acts.

These things should not have happened—Darfur should never have happened. As Mukesh Kapila says, Darfur is the world’s most successful genocide because it has gone on for so long without intervention. When we talk about genocide, we often throw around the phrase “Never again”. Kapila sees this as a vacant phrase which lulls us into inaction. Kapila’s remarks were strong, and shook the room when he said that genocide is inevitable, and it will happen again. This might seem like a strange thing to say to a room full of young hopeful and enthusiastic genocide prevention advocates, but it is realistic. He urged us to set aside our natural inclination to blame governments and institutions for not doing more to address these atrocities because it removes our personal responsibility. It’s true, we have seen the failure of so many institutions over the last 10 years which have yet to end the violence in Darfur, but we shouldn’t be discouraged—instead, we should be empowered to take action on our own. Find organizations such as Darfur Women Action Group who are providing on-the-ground support to women in need. If I can challenge Kapila, I would agree with him, but add that we need to also empower ourselves to demand more of these failed institutions.

The conference included some great panelists, but there were also powerful young voices as several students shared their experiences ‘standing’ to end genocide. STAND leaders and other student activists from around the country came together to share their perspective on the issues and how to stay motivated. Sometimes the work that we do overwhelms us, and it’s difficult to stay energized and motivated especially when standing up to genocide. First of all, it’s important to remember that even reaching one person with your message can make an impact. One of the founders of STAND also reminded us that sometimes outrageous ideas can make a great impact and attract much needed media attention for the cause. Also, think outside the box, and remember the larger picture—always keep in mind what and who you are working for.

There was even more in store for the conference attendees—much more than a simple blog post can cover. For me it was a transformative weekend to be with such an inspiring crowd. I was energized to be around so many people who are doing such meaningful work to elevate this discussion, and challenge the status quo. When it comes down to it, we are all responsible for each other. We live in a global society where our actions here and now affect people across the globe. We need to take responsibility to learn as much as we can about these conflicts in order to contextualize them—so no one can BS you, as Elizabeth Blackney put it. The first step is education, and then it is action. Educate others about the world around them, and communicate with those institutions that have failed us. Demand more from the people at the top. And of course, when it comes down to it, do the most important thing you can: act. I will leave you with comments from Mukesh Kapila when he said that we have all forgotten that the word “humanitarian” starts with the word “human”—try and save a life, and do this on a regular basis, it is the greatest contribution you can make.

You can save a life by supporting the Darfur Women Action Group here.

A bit about the author: Andalisa Lopez first learned about ongoing mass-atrocities in high school, and from then on she advocated for awareness and action. At Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA she organized a group of students to discuss international and domestic social justice issues, including genocide prevention. Majoring in Psychology and Media Communications she explored these disciplines in a senior honors thesis which examined race representation in the media, specifically looking at the way Africans are portrayed in US media. Andalisa moved to Washington DC to complete a year with AmeriCorps, and after finishing her service year, she joined United to End Genocide as an intern. Andalisa is excited to learn from her experience at United to End Genocide, and to keep pursuing her interests in social justice and genocide prevention.