Public Lecture: Courageous Congolese gynecologist to speak at U o f M

Dr. Denis Mukwege, the founder and medical director of the Panzi Hospital – located in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – will be speaking at the University of Manitoba’s Bannatyne Campus tomorrow.

Specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Mukwege has performed more than 15,000 operations on women whose genitals and internal organs have been destroyed by sexualized violence and has treated more than 40,000 women overall in the past 12 years.

The prevalence of extremely cruel sexualized violence in the DRC is widely recognized as one of the highest in the world; it’s regarded as a weapon of war used by rebel forces. In the war-torn region, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of women have been raped or severely mutilated.

The Panzi Hospital offers free, comprehensive care for female victims. The specialized treatment offered at the hospital integrates psychological and physical treatment with social support to help cope with the stigma many victims face after they are assaulted.

What: Public lecture: Protecting & treating survivors of sexual violence in the Congo; presented by: Dr. Denis Mukwege
When: 12 noon to 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, March, 25
Where: Frederic Gaspard Theatre, Basic Medical Sciences Building, 727 McDermot Avenue; University of Manitoba, Bannatyne Campus.

Regarded as a world leader on repairing the internal and physical damages of a sexually violent and brutal attack, Dr. Mukwege has spoken on behalf of these women at the 67th United Nations General Assembly. His efforts have been honoured with numerous awards, including: the UN Human Rights prize; the 2013 Human Rights First Award; and Georgetown University’s 2014 Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards for Advancing Women in Peace and Security. He has also been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

This is Mukwege’s first visit to Winnipeg. He is scheduled to speak at a special evening of dialogue and music, which features an impressive line-up of humanitarians, dignitaries and special guest performer Jim Cuddy.  Right her Future – a fundraising event presented by Make Music Matter – will be held on Thursday, March 27 at the Pantages Playhouse Theatre.

For more information contact Melni Ghattora, Communications Officer, Faculty of Medicine, at: 204-272-3110, or email: melni.ghattora@med.umanitoba.ca.