The Grand Duchess with war rape survivors; Credit: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue

HRH the Grand Duchess, together with the King of the Netherlands and senior representatives of international institutions, participated in the forum "From words to action: repairing the wounds of sexual violence wartime" organised by the Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation held in The Hague, a world symbol of peace and justice.

The host of this brilliant evening - Dr. Mukwege himself, co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2018 with Nadia Murad - also invited many survivors of war rapes. Coming from around the world, some of them had already participated, last year in Geneva, in a first "Survivors' Forum" to which Her Royal Highness had also attended.

Often emotionally charged, these "reunions" were especially marked by hope: that of overcoming one day what the Grand Duchess described in her speech, "one of the worst crimes in the current conflicts - rape used as a weapon of war". Addressing directly to these women who experienced the horror, the Grand Duchess remembered that "you all made me understand how important recognition of your suffering was to help you rebuild your lives" and that, from then on, taking up their defence had become "a moral obligation".

This desire to give a voice to survivors - and to amplify it - is one of the main objectives of the international conference "Stand Speak Rise Up!" which will take place on 26 and 27 March in Luxembourg at the initiative of the Grand Duchess and in collaboration with the Women's Forum for the Economy and Society; another key objective will be to find ways and solutions for "victims to become powerful agents of change".

Dr. Mukwege and the Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation are the strategic partners of this event, along with the NGO "We are not weapons of war". The conference will also benefit from the support of the Luxembourg government, which was once again welcomed by the Grand Duchess - "I am very proud of this," she said.
 
In her message, Dr. Mukwege did not fail to acknowledge the commitment of the Grand Duchess: "You have been a great source of inspiration, a great encouragement in the fight against sexual violence. Your initiative is very well received," he said.

After the official part, the evening continued in a very warm atmosphere with, as a highlight, a musical part provided by a group of survivors.