Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh has spent four days in the Democratic Republic of Congo during a secret high-security trip to “shine a light” on the “weaponisation of rape” and recognise the work being done to support those who survive horrific war-related sexual violence.
She visited Beni, in the conflict-hit east of the country, on Monday and was visibly moved as a 16-year-old girl recounted being attacked by a police officer, while another woman described being sexually assaulted while fleeing rebel-held areas.
During a visit on Wednesday to the Panzi Clinic in Kinshasa, which provides care to survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, Sophie watched as a five-year-old girl underwent surgery by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Denis Mukwege.
The duchess told reporters afterwards: “You have to really question yourself and go ‘how can we have reached a point where rape is just accepted as a part of daily life?'”
She further questioned: “So it’s horrible to hear their stories, but each one deserves to be told and each one deserves recognition, so I don’t make light of any of them and I just wish we didn’t have to hear them but it’s important that we do.”
Duchess Sophie added: “I think you have to allow this issue to get under your skin. And there is only one way to achieve that, you really have to go and see it for yourself.
“You have to understand the environment in which people are living and sit with these people, where they come from, don’t make them come to you, you have to go to them.
“And you have to understand where they live, the circumstances that they’re in, what has brought them to the moment that I am with them and what their futures may or may not hold, and unfortunately what they might not hold is often the case.”
Sophie, 60, flew into Beni on a flight from Entebbe in Uganda on Monday morning, travelling with a security team throughout the trip. Upon landing she said it was an “honour” to return to the Democratic Republic of Congo, having previously visited in 2022, though she added: “I wish it was in happier times.”
The duchess is a champion of the UN’s Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS) and a supporter of the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI).
Other visits involved seeing the Virunga Origins Café, an official partner of Virunga National Park, Africa’s oldest National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
On the final day of the visit, the duchess also visited Kintambo General Hospital, which provides physical, mental and legal support and economic opportunities to survivors.
As she met survivors alongside DRC prime minister Judith Suminwa. According to PA, one doctor told reporters that some of those at the facility are children and that she has seen cases where babies have been sexually abused.
The visit comes as the United Kingdom marks the 25th anniversary of Women, Peace and Security and UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and builds on The Duchess of Edinburgh’s previous work.
