Barcelona, 20 September 2021.- This Monday afternoon, on the eve of the International Day of Peace, ICIP presented the ICIP Peace in Progress Award 2020 to Congolese activist Julienne Lusenge in a ceremony at the Parliament of Catalonia. Lusenge received the award “for her work in preventing and reducing sexual and gender-based violence, and for strengthening women’s participation in peacebuilding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” a country with high rates of violence against women.
The ceremony was presided over by the President of the Parliament, Laura Borràs, the Minister of Foreign Action and Open Government, Victòria Alsina, and ICIP President Xavier Masllorens, who stressed the importance of fighting resolutely against sexual violence, also here at home: “We in Catalonia cannot allow ourselves to be just another country in this matter. We have the tools to work more decisively at home to achieve a critical mass to confront this truly shameful pandemic.” Masllorens said he felt honoured to be able to pay tribute to a person like Julienne “committed to the struggle for peace and justice” and noted that this is the tenth ICIP Award, which adds to a list of people and organisations “who have devoted energy and effort to building peace in the face of conflict.”
During the ceremony, a video featuring the award winner’s career was shown, and the journalist specialising in Africa, Xavier Aldekoa, said of Lusenge: “Julienne is, above all, a brave woman – very brave. Because of her leadership and courage, because of her fight against impunity by exposing, both nationally and internationally, the culprits and perpetrators of violence against women, she has received threats and attacks; nevertheless, she has continued to raise her voice regardless of the consequences.”
In her speech expressing gratitude for the award, Julienne Lusenge dedicated the prize to all Congolese women: “This award is for all the heroic women who constantly work for peace in the Congo and who live with violence every day. This award gives me the energy to keep on fighting.” The activist defined Congolese women as “agents of change” and summarised the priorities of her struggle at the helm of the organisation SOFEPADI, which provides comprehensive care to survivors of violence: “Educating young women, raising community awareness about non-discrimination and mobilising resources to care for victims.”
The Minister of Foreign Action, Victòria Alsina, paid tribute to Lusenge’s “tireless and titanic work” regarding women’s rights: “Key figures like Julienne inspire us and remind us of the need to continue participating in this struggle.”
In the event’s closing speech, the President of the Parliament, Laura Borràs, praised the creation of ICIP by the Parliament of Catalonia. This feat represents “an example of the real power of the legislative body.” Borràs recalled the ten-year history of the Peace in Progress Award and pointed out that the award presented to Lusenge was the first to honour an individual woman. A recognition well deserved for a “life dedicated to the education, dignity and freedom of women, who suffer violence all over the world,” she said.
Among those attending the ceremony was Capuchin priest Joan Botam, recipient of the ICIP Peace in Progress Award 2015. In his case, ICIP recognised his role as one of the leading pioneers of pacifism in Catalonia and a staunch defender of interreligious dialogue and religion as a source of peace.
A benchmark in the fight against sexual violence
Lusenge is the founder and current President of the organisation SOFEPADI (Female Solidarity for Integrated Peace and Development), which focuses on victims of sexual and gender-based violence. She is executive director of Fund for Congolese Women, which offers financial and technical support for the empowerment of Congolese women and girls to become agents of change within their families and their communities. She is also the founder of hospital Karibuni Wa Mama, in Bunia, which provides holistic services to sexual violence survivors and their children, having served over 7,000 survivors to date.
Originally from eastern Congo – a region devastated by the war started in 1998 and by atrocities committed by armed groups against local communities and, particularly against women and girls- Lusenge has experienced this violence herself and has emerged as a voice to denounce injustices and support the victims. From the organisations where she works, Lusenge has pushed the Congolese government and the international community to act against sexual violence, put women at the centre of peace and security processes, and foster the political rights of women and girls. She has advocated for the adoption of Resolutions 1820 and 1325 on women rights at the UN Security Council and creating the Special Relator to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Due to her activism and leadership, she has been repeatedly threatened by former members of armed groups, and she has been forced to relocate several times.
ICIP Peace in Progress Award
The ICIP Peace in Progress Award consists of public recognition, a sculpture created by the Nobel Peace Prize winner, artist and activist, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, called Porta del Sol, and 6,000 euros.
In previous editions, the award was granted to the Mexican organisation Cauce Ciudadano (2018), the activist Arcadi Oliveres (2017), Peace Brigades International (2016), the Capuchin friar Joan Botam (2015), WILPF (2014), the ex-general Jovan Divjak (2013), Madres de Soacha (2012), and the struggle of conscientious objectors and “insubmisos” (people who refuse to do military service or any substitute social work) represented by Pepe Beúnza (2011). The same year, 2011, in an extraordinary edition of the award, the Parliament of Catalonia was honoured for representing the continuity and legacy of the institutions “Pau i Treva” and “Consolat de Mar.”
