Justine Masika Bihamba
Justine Masika Bihamba (born c. 1966) is a Congolese activist. As coordinator of Synergy of Women for Victims of Sexual Violence, she works to improve the lives of rural women, defend human rights and assist victims of war, especially women survivors of acts of sexual violence. This work is focussed in the province of North Kivu, and she has also campaigned for justice more widely in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). She has won considerable international recognition for her achievements. She has on several occasions been subject to threats of arrest or death. Earlier career. Masika  Bihamba obtained a national diploma in 1985, and subsequently trained in community development, activity planning, mediation and conflict management. In 2002 she contributed to a Human Rights Watch report on the condition of women in the east of DRC. Founding and work of Synergy. In 2002 Masika Bihamba helped to carry out a survey of violence committed against women in emergency camps set up for people displaced by an eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano. Following consultation with other organisations, a decision was taken to establish Synergy of Women for Victims of Sexual Violence (SFVS). The organisation is divided into three  sections: a psycho-social section, a medical section and a legal defence section. Since then, SFVS has provided over 18 000 women with emotional, medical and legal support, and has documented the incidence of rape in North Kivu, calling for the arrest and trial of the perpetrators. Participation in other networks. Masika Bihamba is also an active member of a wide range of other networks, such as Oxfam Novib, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Belgian Development Cooperation, Usaid, and other humanitarian, political and development agencies. Her organization Synergie des Femmes partners with international women's group Donor Direct Action . Testifies to ICC review conference. Masika Bihamba testified to the 2010 Review Conference of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Kampala, Uganda. She pointed to the importance of implementing specific measures to support women who had become victims of sexual crimes and consequently often suffered from trauma and stigmatization. In her view, such assistance to date had been insufficient and should not be limited to financial aid.