Hope for Justine

Fundraising Event for Justine

2010-09-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

Justine will be in Washington, DC next week. Please come and meet her!

Fundraiser to Support Justine
Friday, September 24, 2010
6:30-9:00pm
Pammy's Apartment
Waterside Towers (Waterfront Metro on Green Line)
901 6 St SW, Apt 403A
Washington, DC 20024

Suggested Donation: $10, cash strongly preferred
100% of all donations go directly to support Justine's work for rape survivors in the DRC

When you are downstairs at the apartment, please call (510) 541-8289 to be led upstairs.

Information about Justine:

Amnesty International Write-a-thon
http://www.amnestyusa.org/individuals-at-risk/global-write-a-thon/justice-masika-bihamba/page.do?id=1011520

Justine Receives Prestigious Tulip Award
http://www.youtube.com/user/mensenrechtentulp#p/a/u/1/lwU3HTFyLno

Justine and Her Children

2008-07-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

Because of her extreme compassion and commitment to the women of the DRC, Justine is choosing to accept all personal risks and continue her work in the DRC. However, Justine's children are currently in hiding in a neighboring African country. They are applying to Canada as refugees, but urgently need funding for the application process and living expenses. Please send donations through the website or email iamfemtastic@gmail.com if you prefer to donate via another method. Thank you!

Call your US Representative to Cosponsor H Res 1227!

2008-06-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

House Resolution 1227 has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives condemning the sexual violence occurring in the Democratic Republic of Congo and calling for the United States and the international community to demand an end to this cycle of violence.

Contact your Member of Congress today and ask them to support the women of the DRC by becoming a co-sponsor of H.Res. 1227!

Introduced by Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and co-sponsored by Congressman Brad Miller (D-NC), H.Res. 1227 calls on the U.S. Administration and international community to take the following actions towards addressing this issue:

Urges the United States Agency for International Development and international community to provide victims and potential victims of rape with greater assistance for health care services, psychological and social counseling, and legal advice;

Calls on the government of the DRC to end the widespread sexual violence by holding all armed groups, including members of the Congolese armed forces and police, accountable for their actions;

Calls on the UN Security Council to take immediate steps to ensure that the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in the Congo, MONUC, is fully funded to increase troop presence and deploy in areas where sexual violence is most prevalent.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has been described as one of the worst places on earth to be a woman. Hundreds of thousands of women and girls have become victims of brutal rape, used as a tool of warfare. Please join concerned advocates around the country in ensuring that their voices are heard. We can help bring hope and peace to women in the Congo!Please join Congo Global Action in thanking Congresswoman Maloney and Congressman Miller for bringing these atrocities to the attention of the United States Congress and demanding an end to the impunity that forces the women of Congo to live in fear.

Visit http://www.house.gov/ to find your Member of Congress and https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml to write to your Member.

To learn more about H.Res. 1227, please visit http://thomas.loc.gov/

For more information on lobby activities, including talking points, sample letters, and advocacy toolkits please visit www.congoglobalaction.org.

Thank you for your continued support!

Recent Press about Justine

2008-03-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

Tortured women struggle for justice
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/415386

Women Making Change, in the Worst Place in the World
to Be a Woman (Peace X Peace Article)
http://www.peacexpeace.org/content/publications/peace-times/edition-78
Thanks to Mary Liepold for making the time to share this story.

Justine is a Finalist in OneWorld's People of 2007
http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/156818/1/9770

In Congo, Confronting a Legacy of Rape
http://www.boston.com/news/world/blog/2008/03/rape_weaponized.html?p1=email_to_a_friend

Details of Murder Attempt

2007-11-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

Please check out: http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/1170

Justine was not home when it happened, but her daughters were violently attacked. One was raped in the anus with a knife and another had a tooth cut out. She tells us that the men who attacked her have been stalking them throughout the country. They are not safe anywhere in DRC. Your help is needed immediately.

Safety in Canada

2007-11-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

Justine wants her family to go to Canada. This is a picture of all of us (Justine back left) during our summer international women's human rights program where we all met. Our friends in Canada are willing to sponsor her into Canada.

International Recognition of Justine's Work

2007-11-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

Here are a list of international articles documenting the amazing work Justine has done, which unfortunately has put her life and that of children under extreme danger.

(* indicates articles of particular relevance)

Peace Women, July 23, 2004
http://www.peacewomen.org/un/pkwatch/News/04/misconduct.html
*UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (IRIN), September 1, 2004
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=62819
Peace Women Across the Globe, 2006
http://www.1000peacewomen.org/typo/index.php?id=14&L=3&WomenID=1456
*Engender Health/The Acquire Project, May 2006http://www.engenderhealth.org/ia/swh/pdf/TF-Report-English.pdf
*UNFPA, June 2006
http://www.unfpa.org/emergencies/symposium06/agenda.htm
European Women’s Lobby, June 7, 2006
http://www.womenlobby.org/site/1abstract.asp?DocID=1709&v1ID=&RevID=&namePage=&pageParent=&DocID_sousmenu=
*World People, January 1, 2007
http://word.world-citizenship.org/word/index.php/wp-archive/1034
*World Social Forum 2007 (page 2)
http://www.realizingrights.org/pdf/WSF_2007_Weblog.pdf
The Toronto Star, June 8, 2007
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/223057
*The Toronto Star, October 12, 2007
http://africannewsanalysis.blogspot.com/2007_10_07_archive.html
*Front Line, Protection of Human Rights Defenders, October 21, 2007http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/1170