Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the National Prayer Breakfast and took particular pleasure in listening to the guest speaker, Ms Lulu Mitshabu. Lulu is a Congolese refugee who now works for Caritas Australia, an international aid and development agency within the Catholic Church. Her speech about the atrocities experienced by her fellow countrymen, particularly women and children, was most confronting. According to a major International Rescue Committee report, the conflict and humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo has taken 5.4 million people since 1998.

The sad history of the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of great tragedy for Africa and the world at large. Despite being incredibly rich in natural resources, the country is one of the poorest in the world. This is mostly due to the history of unrest and human rights violations at the hands of its own leaders, as well as the various militia groups from neighbouring countries. Rape, violence, intimidation and subjugation have been used for years to create instability and fear that will allow for economic control by its perpetrators. Violence, predominantly of a sexual nature, is, as Lulu stated, out of control and being used as a weapon for instilling a sense of fear, creating a divide in the community and prolonging the environment of chaos.

According to various UN reports, in October and November last year alone there were 2,000 reported incidents of sexual violence occurring in that country. The saddest part is the fact that the tens of thousands of victims of rape are not supported but rejected by their families and their communities after the incident. This misplaced sense of blame has caused shame, tearing families and communities apart. Lulu told the horrific story of a teenage girl being abducted and forced into prostitution by the men who killed her six siblings.

These are intolerable events that are occurring and unfortunately they are occurring right under the noses of the world community. While living in a country such as Australia, with all of the freedoms that we enjoy, I cannot even imagine how in some parts of the world atrocities like this are happening to somebody’s sisters and, importantly for me, somebody’s daughters. As the UN recently indicated, there is now a generation of children who will know nothing but violence. We have a responsibility in this respect. I praise Ms Lulu Mitshabu for her continued work in this area, making us aware of this horrifying situation and fighting to assist victims—(Time expired)