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UN Radio
UN and Africa
Programme Number: 112
Week of: Sunday, 10th August, 2006
Recording Date: Thursday, 10th August, 2006
Topical Issue(s):
" DR CONGO: More problems with the handling and
counting of ballot papers. We hear from the UN's deputy
envoy in the DR Congo, Ross Mountain.
" SIERRA LEONE: UN agencies lend their support
to a local initiative to help and rehabilitate women
who have suffered from sexual violence during the country's
civil conflict.
Editor / Presenter: Ben Dotsei Malor
Producer: Ben Dotsei Malor/Derrick Mbatha
Production Assistant: Beng Poblete-Enriquez
Studio Engineer: Louis Bastion
Duration: 15'00"
PRESENTER:This is United Nations Radio from New York.
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and hold under narr.)
PRESENTER:
Hello and Welcome to UN and Africa. I'm Ben Dotsei
Malor.
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hold under)
PRESENTER:
In this programme, Help, Rehabilitation and Empowerment
for some Sierra Leonean women victims of sexual violence
CLIP-1 Women in Crisis movement empowering vulnerable
women to better reproductive health and skills training.
The motto is to heal broken lives.
CLIP-2 Their behaviour is wrong like at first most of
them were sex workers but after the training, and you
know it's a Christian organization, we teach also the
fear of the Lord so after the training, when they get
back to the community, the life they were using at first,
they never go back to the life.
PRESENTER: Mrs. Juliana Conteh, more from them in a
moment. Also coming from the Democratic Republic of
the Congo mounting concerns about ballots papers being
dumped. We ask the deputy UN envoy in the DR Congo,
Ross Mountain, about the challenges ahead ?
CLIP/TEASER: ROSS MOUNTAIN
"We've obviously provided all the support we can,
including of course, with MONUC aircraft as well as
other logistics support in this process. This is just,
as you probably know, the first round the elections.."
PRESENTER:
That's all coming up.
Just stay tuned.
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until first sentence.)
SIERRA LEONE - HELP FOR WOMEN VICTIMS OF CIVIL WAR
PRESENTER:
In Sierra Leone, the civil war may have ended some few
years back but the effects are still being felt today.
The majority of the victims of this conflict are children
and women. Some of these women have suffered from sexual
violence. Others were abducted by the rebels and other
fighters during the civil war. Now, much work is being
done by some local NGOs with the help of international
organizations like the United Nations to rehabilitate
these victims of war. During my recent trip to Sierra
Leone, I visited one centre in the capital … where
women victims of sexual violence are being assisted
through counselling, education and skills training ….
ACTUALITY OF BACKGROUND SPECIAL
It was a bright morning when we arrived in the East
End of Freetown, to visit the centre being run by the
Women in Crisis Movement.
ACTUALITY OF BACKGROUND SPECIAL
The East End is perhaps the poorest part of this city.
The compound that serves as a source of new life for
many of these women victims is located just a few feet
from the sea and there's a cool breeze blowing from
the Atlantic ocean. There is barbed wire on top of the
whitewashed wall surrounding the compound. And before
meeting the Director of the Centre, Mrs Juliana Conteh,
I was first welcomed by one of the Tutors … (Adda
Judith Fornah)
JUDITH FORNAH MOTTO OF THE CENTRE
As you see the building, you have the writing on the
wall, Women in Crisis empowering vulnerable women to
have better reproductive health and skills training.
The motto is rebuilding broken lives for women who have
been affected by the war.
And with that introduction we moved into the compound
JUDITH FORNAH DESCRIBE FACILITIES
Well, if you take a look in there, you will see 3 different
rooms. The first one contains the hairdressing department.
You have all materials needed for them here. In the
tailoring room, you have the sewing machine for them,
then you have the garage where they use another skills.
BRING UP BACKGROUND ACTUALITY
JUDITH FORNAH SEWING MACHINES
We are here now in the tailoring department. As you
can see, we have a lot of machines and these machines
are being operated by these young girls you see outsides.
Ben: These are sewing machines, from what I can count,
there are probably up to 30 individual sewing machines
here.
Yeah. You know the logo up there you see Women in Crisis
movement through WHO.
Ben: So WHO provided the money for buying these machines?
Yeah. They provide the machines.
PRESENTER: I spoke with the Director of the Centre.
MRS CONTEH MAIN
JC: My name is Juliana Conteh, I am the Director of
Women in Crisis Movement working with vulnerable girls
and young women.
BM: Tell us about the kind of women you are trying
to help here.
JC: I work with different categories of women. Commercial
sex workers, also people living with AIDS, that is women
living with AIDS and also we know that their husbands
were killed during the war. I also work with the children
of the target beneficiary. All these ranges of women
they are here in this centre and also we have their
own children, also. We work with their children too.
BM: Do I understand that…basically these are women
who have suffered from sexual violence?
JC: Of course, they suffer a lot from sexual violence,
especially during the 11 years of war. They suffer a
lot from sexual violence, especially during the 11 years
of war. Most of them were violated. They were gang raped,
some of them were mutilated. A lot of atrocities were
really levied upon the women. So the majority of them
- in fact I'd say 80 % of the women- were sexually violated.
If you can listen to some o their stories as you go
along, you will discover that the majority of them were
sexually violated by the rebels and other people. And
even in the community right now, violation is taking
place. It hasn't stopped at all. In fact it's on an
increase.
BM: Why is it on an increase?
JC: Some people feel that when they have sex, especially
with younger children or girls, especially those living
with AIDS, they will be healed. Some of them are just
used to it, that is why we have decided to really attack
it. I was in Belgium….so we have come out with
a resolution and we are going to going to talk with
the govt of SL and we are going to deal w/issue, just
like we are dealing with HIV so that it has to be an
interdisciplinary cause where everybody must come on
board and see how we can fight this sexual violence
against women.
BM: I grew up in Ghana….Talking about sex or sexual
issues is a very hard thing for people, particularly
women. How are these women you are helping here able
to communicate to you ….without feeling shy, ashamed?
How are they able to do this?
JC: It has not been really easy for us. It's a difficult
thing for somebody someone who has gone through trauma
and stress….but with love and compassion. You know,
talking to them, encouraging them a lot, they'll come
out and explain their issue. And with the support we
are getting from UNFP and other UN agencies like WHO…the
help they are giving to us and the support we are giving
to them, they are coming out, they are explaining their
problem because we are empowering them so that they
will be able to be self-reliant.
BM: Tell us, what specifically is the nature of the
support you are receiving from WHO, UNFPA and other
international donors here in Freetown, SL?
JC: Of course capacity building, training people, even
as I'm talking the director has been to several meetings,
acquire more knowledge and skills. Women provide the
capital for us, so that we are able to support women
so buy equipment. So they are providing all the resources
for us. Not only the teachers but the women and we interact
a lot. WHO also provide facilities - the building with
the generator buzzing in the background - during regime
of Dr. Jacqueline Saweka (sp?) Also have WFP provide
food for work. The UNAIDS, they give us the microcredit.
We are seeing results. A lot of them have been trained
and they are in the communities. Those who have been
looking low on them, now they are starting to change
their views about them. So a lot of changes have taken
place in the lives of these women.
BM: What specific changes do you see when women first
come in here to be trained, to be equipped by your group,
what specific changes do you see when they return to
the community?
JC: Their behavior is one. Like at first, most of them
were sex workers. But after the training, you know,
it's a Christian organization, we teach them also the
fear of the Lord. So after the training, when they go
back to the community the life they were using at first,
they never go back to the life. So it's a big change
for them and now they have acquired skills. Even their
interaction with people - at first they don't even know
how to talk to people, but a lot of changes - they can
communicate to the people now very well, they encourage
people, they do their work, they don't sell sex again
for money. So those are some of the changes that taken
place in them. In fact they go to the communities and
sensitize the communities, and those who have trained
as peer educators, they are educating the community
now that in fact some of them should use condoms. So
a lot of changes have taken place in the lives of these
women.
BM: We are standing in the corridor here, you are walking
with me. We will try and stay as far away from the generator
so people can hear you. But if you could describe from
here what part of the…..building we are looking
at.
JC: This part of the building we are looking at is
a 10-room hostel. We were hoping to accommodate the
women, but we have decided to use this as a health centre
now for them so that all of them will go to Miyakeni
Centre (sp?), they will use this as a clinic for them
and for the host community….We have beds, we have
all the medical equipments there. You have seen the
place. We have all these facilities….We want to
use this place as a transit…point for women that
have been violated. When they come in here, we have
to host them here, encourage them, try to negotiate
with them, then before ever rehabilitating them into
the community. So this is going to be a point wherein
people who have been sexually violated are going to
be.
BM: You want to take them away from the sources of the
violence so that you can change them, equip them and
empower them before you send them back to go and do
good work in the community?
JC: Exactly that is what I want to do. When they come
we e have to counsel them, we have to give them treatment,
after that we empower them. Later on, we have to send
them back to community or their relatives, those are
some of the things we want to do.
BM: I see there is a kitchen with some bags of food.
Tell us about that.
JC: The kitchen you are seeing with the bags of food,
with the cornmeal, borgu (?) and oil, were provided
by WFP. They are supporting us for the Food for Work.
We really have a feeding programme. We give them a meal
a day.
BM: So all the women I've just seen they receive free
meals here.
JC: Every day they receive free meal…. Today is
the end of term but they will continue coming in because
we don't want to lose contact with them….. They
are going for about a month. Today is ……July
14 and they will come next month the 14. When they come
they will start work all over again. They will come
every day as they wish…..The place will remain
open….Some of them are going to stay with us.
BM: They have nowhere else to go?
JC: Some of them don't have nowhere to go. That is
why I have been advocating we should look for low-cost
housing for these women.
BM: What is the biggest challenge you face here?
JC: Transporation - have another centre we need vehicles
that will take them up and down. The women need housing
because some staying with friends or boyfriends, and
they are mal-treated. And also the other challenge is
we need funding, a lot of money to continue this job.
BM: But I see you are doing a great job….
JC: We still need funding so we can continue the job.
Especially from our donor agencies…. We are not
only concentrating on the skills training. We have an
agricultural programme that is at Kambu Town wherein
we grow rice, cassava and other subsistence crop that
we are really involved in.
BM: How long have you been involved in this Madame
Juliana Conte?
JC: About eight years now I have been in this work.
BM: Tell me one story, maybe one person you've helped
here; something that constantly gives you the greatest
joy here.
JC: I have helped so many of them, but I will not forget
Mabinte Koroma . In fact, she is now working at Tonga
Free (sp?) She is doing so well. Quite recently there
was this UNFPA population programme so Mabinte and others
at the community at Tonga Fe played an active role at
that particular programme. So she is and she is very,
very happy with us.
BM: What work is she doing there?
JC: She offer gara tie-dye and hair…she is doing
the batik tie-dye clothing business and she has a shop
at Tonga Free, a dressmaking shop. She is doing so well.
BM: You sound - the look on your face says you're proud.
You feel proud, talk about it.
JC: I'm very proud of her. You know, when she came to
the programme she was a drunkard, she was abandoned,
people don't want to see her. If you see her now she
is a very beautiful woman now, and she is very, very
happy because of what God has done for her.
BM: It's a pleasure talking to you, Mrs. Juliana Conte
and we wish the best over here at WIC Development Centre
in Sierra Leone.
JC: Thank you very much!
Mrs Juliana Conteh …
We also met some of the women beneficiaries in the centre.
BENEFICIARIES
At any one time there are about 150 women taking part
in a two-year programme. Already there are success stories
and some of the women who have passed through the centre
are making a positive impact in there communities. I
asked Mrs. Conteh what changes she had seen in the women
who come to the centre?
MRS CONTEH PART 2
The Director of the Women in Crisis Movement Centre
in the East End of Freetown, Sierra Leone.
STING/JINGLE: UN AND AFRICA THEME
Senior UN Official in DR Congo Says Counting of Ballots
Is Proceeding Well in DRC
PRESENTER:
The way ballot papers are being handled in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo is raising some concern about
the validity of the final results, expected to be released
between the 20th and 31st of August. Some reports suggest
that some of the unusually large and unwieldy ballot
papers have been dumped unceremoniously into huge piles
in the capital, Kinshasa. UN Radio's Derrick Mbatha
called up, Ross Mountain, the UN's number two man in
the peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, and asked him first about the specific
problems surrounding the handling an counting of the
ballots?
ROSS MOUNTAIN INTERVIEW
MOUNTAIN: This has been an enormous process. As you
may know, there were 50,000 voting stations across the
country. The results of those voting stations, and incidentally
it's important that people understand that on the night
all the votes were actually counted in each of those
stations, so the crucial elements that has come back,
is what are called the local compilation stations of
which there are 62 across the country, has been the
signed results sheets which has been, of course, signed
by political observers, political party observers as
well as international observers and so on which has
the results. And all those are actually accounted for.
So that is working actually quite well in the whole
process. Where there have been difficulties is that
with the mass of voting ballots which have been brought
back to these places as well in case there are requirements
from the Supreme Court for any kind of subsequent review,
and that there have been difficulties in one or two
places not generally at all of ensuring that they have
been kept secure and are available to be fairly readily
reviewed. This is under control.
MBATHA: And which places are those?
MOUNTAIN: The places that have had a difficulty were
here in Kinshasa in particular. There was at one point
some confusion in Lubumbashi and reports of one of two
places in the north-east. But as I say, that has now
been addressed. What the Independent Electoral Commission
is also doing is, as the results come out, they are
being published not only collectively, and here I am
talking not only about the presidential elections, but
also the National Assembly elections which, of course,
took place at the same time. And they will be publishing
the results by each of the voting stations, not just
the compilation. So they will be on display indeed and
on the Internet for people to review and ensure that
that corresponds to what was signed off by the witnesses
and, of course, the electoral workers in each of the
individual places.
MBATHA: And when will that take place? When will the
results be made public?
MOUNTAIN: This is happening now. The first eight of
these 62 counting stations have reported the results
and they are placed on the Internet including, as I
say, would be the breakdown of all the individual voting
stations that come together. For example, there are
in Kinshasa something like 1,800 voting centres for
the four areas that are compiling these results and
there are in total about 8,000 voting stations. So by
each of those 8,000 the results will be posted for people
to see that this conform with what indeed was signed
off on the night.
MBATHA: And how soon can we expect this counting exercise
to be completed?
MOUNTAIN: The Independent Electoral Commission has
given a date of the 20th of August for the provisional
results of the presidential election and the end of
August for the full results. They will be announced.
Each of these counting centres will put up the results
as they complete that area. They then will also announce
the results of the elections for the 500 members of
parliament the counting for which follows the counting
of the ballots for the presidential. So we would expect
this to be coming out also in the course of this month.
MBATHA: And what role is MONUC playing in ensuring
that the process runs smoothly?
MOUNTAIN: This is the largest United Nations electoral
support operation ever. We have been very proud to be
supportive of the Congolese Independent Electoral Commission
and have supported them with logistics, finance, personnel
throughout the process. But we are delighted to say
that this is something which has been very much in the
hands of the Congolese. In addition to our own input,
we had, for example, something like 260,000 electoral
workers which the UN was supporting across the country
on the 30th of July. We also supported the mobilization
of 74,000 police. And these elections were witnessed
by some 47,000 national observers and 360,000 political
party observers plus some 1,700 international observers.
We've obviously provided all the support we can, including
of course, with MONUC aircraft as well as other logistics
support in this process. This is just, as you probably
know, the first round the elections. If there is one
of the presidential candidates out of the 33 that gets
over 50 per cent of the vote in this first round, then
there won't be a second round of the presidential run-off.
Otherwise, if there would the top two candidates, but
there will be in any event a second round of elections
because that is foreseen to elect the provincial representatives
of each of the eleven provinces. And there again, there
is something like 14,000 candidates for over 600 seats.
MBATHA: What can you say about the allegations of fraud?
MOUNTAIN: We can certainly say what we said all along
that the IEC has worked very hard with out support to
ensure the fullest transparency of this process. We
have always said that in running an election in a country
of this size, this complexity that has not had elections
in over forty years, indeed the IEC has never, of course,
had the opportunity to run an election before, and indeed
where the logistics are so constrained, there are effectively
no roads to speak of in the country, that this would
be a very good election but not a perfect election.
And, of course there have been difficulties but they
have been frankly minimal and the approach that has
been taken because it is foreseen in the law how candidates
who believe that there are irregularities to appeal
to a system of review that they should follow that course.
BACK ANNO:
The Deputy Head of the UN's peacekeeping mission in
the DR Congo, Ross Mountain.
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PRESENTER:
… Bringing us to the end of this week's UN and
Africa. On behalf of Beng Poblete-Enriquez, Louis Bastion
and Derrick Mbatha, I'm Ben Dotsei Malor saying thank
you, and Goodbye.
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