International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Claire Bernard's Wake Up Call

Claire Bernard, vice president of the Mariposa Foundation, shares the experience of meeting courageous women in the International Rescue Committee's gender-based violence counseling centers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She calls on everyone to keep public attention on this issue through awareness.

From Cambodia to Congo, women and girls face violence and discrimination. Yet each day people are fighting to create a better world. Find out how they are changing lives despite incredible obstacles.
 

Video Transcript

I had the real pleasure and honor of meeting a lot of women who were brave enough to go to gender-based violence centers and get help and support. 
 
I’d have to say that the courage they all had--at whatever level they were at, whether it was just that they were brave enough to be there, or if enough time had passed and they had really gotten enough support and enough of the comfort they needed that they could speak about what they’ve been through--so it was all of those women that really just made a huge impact on me. 
 
They were in their own fields; they were in their own homes; they were in their own communities--where everyone should expect to be safe, and having horrific life-changing experiences happen to them. And many of them were willing to stand up and make a difference. 
 
The way you can help is by bringing awareness to their issue and their struggle. Most of that goes by making sure the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is in the public eye, because, sadly, rape is synonymous with DRC warfare. If you can keep people talking about that and knowing about that, then change can happen there, and that change will directly affect these women.
 
[ENDS]
 
 
Thanks to Sparked.com volunteer Brennan H. for transcribing this video.