Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, called for the world to confront the scourge of sexual violence in conflict as she met survivors during a four-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“You have to allow this issue to get under your skin,” Sophie told reporters, after listening to testimony from women and children who had endured brutal attacks.
“It’s horrible to hear their stories, but each one deserves to be told and each one deserves recognition.”
Travelling under heavy security, the 60-year-old duchess visited Beni in eastern DRC, where she sat barefoot with survivors in a tent, including a 16-year-old assaulted by a police officer and women fleeing rebel violence.
Later, at Kinshasa’s Panzi Clinic, she observed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege operate on a five-year-old rape victim.
The duchess also met women assaulted during a prison mass breakout last year, who spoke of forced abortions, rejection by families, and the dangers they still face.
Conflict has long gripped the mineral-rich east, with M23 rebels and other militias displacing more than seven million people.
Sophie, who previously visited in 2022, pledged to return, stressing the need for “resolution” and urging attention to survivors’ futures.
Her trip ended with a meeting with President Felix Tshisekedi.