Media Advisory: UNICEF to kick-off 5 city Stop Rape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo tour for “V-Day,” Feb. 11 NYC, press accreditation required

Media advisory

Stop Rape in the DRC V-Day’s “Turning Pain to Power” Tour Kick Off Press Conference

Who:   
Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF Executive Director
Eve Ensler, ‘The Vagina Monologues’ Playwright and Artistic Director, Founder of V-Day
Dr. Denis Mukwege, Director and Founder of Panzi General Referral Hospital in Bukavu, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo and winner of The United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights for 2008

 

What:    
Press conference launching the five-city V-Day ‘Turning Pain to Power Tour’ tour in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Washington, DC  with Eve Ensler and Dr. Mukwege.  They will be joined on the tour by Ms. Veneman in San Francisco and New York.

When:   
Wednesday, 11 February 2008, 1:30 p.m.

Where:     
UN Secretariat, Room 226 press briefing room 
1 United Nations Plaza, entrance on 46th street, New York, NY 10017

Why:    
The tour is in support of UNICEF and V-Day’s joint campaign – STOP RAPING OUR GREATEST RESOURCE: POWER TO WOMEN AND GIRLS OF THE DRC – which is exposing the devastating impact of rape on Congolese women’s health, their families and their communities; calling for specific measures to end impunity for perpetrators; economically and socially empowering women and girls to lead in the prevention of sexual violence and in the rebuilding of a country devastated by conflict; building and opening the City of Joy in conjunction with PANZI Hospital and Dr. Mukwege, a center where survivors will be provided with support to heal and training to further develop their leadership and life skills.
 
Events on the tour will feature Dr. Denis Mukwege and Eve Ensler exposing femicide and the sexual torture of women in the DRC, and relaying the stories of women survivors on the ground who are coming together and breaking the silence. During public conversations with Ensler, Dr. Mukwege will describe his experiences treating and performing life-saving fistula surgery on thousands of Congolese women and girls destroyed by unspeakable rape and mutilation. Their conversations will also explore the causes of the brutality, ways to stop the ongoing femicide, and Congo’s growing movement of women leaders.

Note to journalists:  
Accreditation for the UN is required.  To obtain a day pass, please visit:   http://www.un.org/media/accreditation/  and follow the instructions in the “accreditation requirements”.

For further information, please contact:
Najwa Mekki, UNICEF New York, +1-212-326-7162, nmekki@unicef.org
Kate Donovan, UNICEF New York, +1-212-326-7452, kdonovan@unicef.org