Read a recent Op Ed by our Executive Director on the Rights of Women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

Dr. Denis Mukwege is at the forefront of the battle to protect women against the brutalities of sexual gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As the founder and medical director of the Panzi Hospital, a facility that has treated over 30,000 women, including over 19,000 survivors of sexual violence, Dr. Mukwege is a devoted advocate for the rights of women. In a country where rape is a recognized weapon of war, the Panzi Hospital exists as a beacon of light for the survivors.

Recent actions taken by the Congolese government are attempting to extinguish this beacon of light. Some observers believe these actions by the DRC’s government are an act of retaliation against Dr. Mukwege for comments he made in Strasbourg, France upon receiving the 2014 Sakharov Prize. While receiving this award for his pioneering work to help Congolese women Mukwege declared, “Our country is sick but together with our friends around the world, we can and will heal.”

The Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, has stated that the Congolese government had seized its bank accounts and that the hospital could no longer withdraw any funds. On December 30, the hospital announced that government tax authorities claimed that the hospital had not paid a tax bill of over 600,000 dollars. In response, Dr. Mukwege stated that the allegations of “tax evasion” are unjustified because the Panzi Hospital is not considered like other public hospitals in the DRC. The Panzi Hospital, he said, has its own special statute and personnel are taxed at the source by the Congolese finance ministry. Mukwege further said that Panzi Hospital is the only hospital that has had to endure this form of fiscal discrimination.

These actions by the government place the facility and its patients in jeopardy and block the payment of wages for over 370 employees. The Panzi Hospital is a godsend in this turbulent region of the world. Survivors of sexual gender-based violence are not required to pay for their care. Most maternity patients who are admitted into the hospital also do not have to pay for their treatment.

Clearly, the Panzi Hospital must remain open as it serves to advance the rights of vulnerable women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The situation of women in the DRC itself calls for massive humanitarian intervention.

The statistics on sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo paint a bleak picture. The DRC continues to remain one of the most dangerous places on earth for any woman.

More than 400,000 women ages 15 to 49 experienced sexual violence between 2006 and 2007 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. That is equivalent to 1,152 women raped every day, 48 women raped every hour, or four women raped every five minutes.

The UN estimates that 200,000 women have become victims of sex crimes over the past 15 years.

This outrage against an institution that is instrumental towards advancing women’s rights in the country calls for immediate action.

As Dr. Mukwege says:  Justice is not negotiable.

The answer now is to place sufficient pressure on the Congolese government to release the hold on the Panzi Hospital’s accounts and to end its discriminatory treatment. Individuals within the developed world can pressure their own politicians and politicians in the DRC to end these attacks on this hospital that heals both the physical wounds of survivors and provides much needed psycho-social support.

Practical help can be provided for the vulnerable patients and staff that are embroiled in this unfair situation. Panzi Foundation USA has announced the creation of an emergency #StandWithPanzi fund. All of these donations will be transferred to secure accounts in the DRC designated by Dr. Mukwege to meet immediate needs at the Panzi Hospital.

That way, this institution can continue to advance the rights of vulnerable women in Congo.

Melanie Tomsons is the executive director of Never Again International-Canada, a youth-based international NGO dedicated to preventing genocide, educating the public about the plight of child soldiers and promoting human rights through education.