On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November), Stand Speak Rise Up!, founded in 2019 by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg and Chékéba Hachemi, is organising a week of events in France and Luxembourg.
As every year, survivors who have travelled specially from Kosovo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Tigray, supported by the association, will be present to remind the public that outrage is no longer enough: collective action is needed to rebuild, restore hope and never forget.
Programme Highlights
Friday 21 November in Paris (Pan Piper, 2-4 Impasse Lamier, 75011), from 13:30 to 20:30: The conference "From Violence to Resilience: Supporting Women in Exile", organised in partnership with Groupe SOS, offers a day of discussions and testimonials on the resilience of women in exile. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Chékéba Hachemi will participate in the introductory roundtable, alongside survivors Guillaumette Tsongo (DRC) and Meseret Hadusch (Tigray). The day will conclude with a screening of the documentary Rape in Tigray, the silent weapon, followed by a debate with Meseret Hadusch, whose journey is recounted in the film.
Saturday 22 November in Paris (Place de la République) at 14:00 and in Luxembourg City (Hamilius) at 11:00: The Stand Speak Rise Up! team will participate in the March Against Sexual Violence, a moment of solidarity and visibility, both in Paris and Luxembourg, as part of Orange Week. This initiative highlights the importance of citizen mobilisation to denounce violence and support survivors.
Monday 24 November in Luxembourg City (Kinépolis Kirchberg) at 19:00: For the first time in Luxembourg, Marie-Hélène Roux's film Muganga, celui qui soigne (Muganga, the healer) will be screened. This film recounts the struggle of Dr Denis Mukwege, Nobel Peace Prize winner and administrator of Stand Speak Rise Up!, who has dedicated his life to treating women victims of sexual violence in the DRC. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Chékéba Hachemi and survivors Guillaumette Tsongo (DRC), Meseret Hadusch (Tigray) and Venesa Sulimani (Kosovo). This evening of testimonials and commitment, organised in collaboration with Aide à l'Enfance de l'Inde et du Népal (AEIN), will end with a cocktail reception and discussions to highlight the resilience and courage of the survivors.
Tuesday 25 November in Luxembourg City (Cité Judiciaire), from 12:00 to 14:00: The training course "Sexual violence, human trafficking and the right to asylum: What are the challenges for the justice system?" is aimed at Luxembourg magistrates and judicial staff. It will be opened by Alain Thorn, President of the National Council of Justice, and inaugurated by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Chékéba Hachemi, in the presence of survivors Guillaumette Tsongo, Meseret Hadusch and Venesa Sulimani (Kosovo). Presentations by Charles-Eric Clesse, Vaios Koutroulis and Catherine Warin will offer insights into the legal framework and challenges related to the protection of victims of sexual violence. For the first time in Luxembourg, following a successful session in Belgium in 2024, Stand Speak Rise Up! is organising this training course to highlight the importance of an informed and committed justice system in supporting survivors' recovery. The event is being organised in collaboration with the National Council of Justice.
Tuesday 25 November in Luxembourg City (Cité Judiciaire, Salle des pas perdus) at 14:30: The launch of the multidisciplinary journal Stand Speak Rise Up!, in collaboration with Legitech, will bring together for the first time in a single dedicated journal the analyses of experts, lawyers and survivors on rape as a weapon of war and its consequences. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Chékéba Hachemi, co-editors-in-chief, will deliver the presentation, in the presence of contributors including Venesa Sulimani, child of a survivor from Kosovo, and survivors, as well as expert contributors, offering a unique space for reflection and advocacy on reconstruction and justice. This review is the first in a series of annual publications by Stand Speak Rise Up!.
Wednesday 26 November in Luxembourg City (BGL BNP Paribas, Kirchberg) at 18:00: The opening of the exhibition "Simply Survivors" will present, for the first time in Luxembourg, a photographic exhibition by and for survivors. The introductory roundtable will bring together Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Chékéba Hachemi and Béatrice Belorgey (Chairwoman of the Executive Committee of BGL BNP Paribas and Head of BNP Paribas Group entities in Luxembourg), followed by a tour of the exhibition and a cocktail reception. This event aims to highlight the dignity, strength and resilience of survivors, celebrating their role as agents of change.
According to the association, this Stand Speak Rise Up! Week "promises to be an unprecedented mobilisation to remind us all that every survivor is an agent of change and that resilience is the most beautiful form of resistance. Justice is the key to rebuilding for all survivors."
