Overview

• Sophie met survivors in Beni who described assaults, including a 16-year-old alleging attack by a police officer and women assaulted while fleeing rebel-held areas, and she said the issue must "get under your skin."
• At Kinshasa’s Panzi Clinic, she observed Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Denis Mukwege perform surgery on a five-year-old rape survivor.
• She visited a safehouse for women affected during last year’s Makala prison mass escape and heard accounts of forced abortions, family rejection and continuing risks.
• In Kinshasa’s Kintambo General Hospital with Prime Minister Judith Suminwa, a doctor reported treating children and cases involving babies, while survivors described rebuilding through economic support programs.
• The visit highlighted UK-backed services such as a Danish Refugee Council safe space and took place as violence by M23 and the ADF has displaced more than seven million people.