My Congolese friend and colleague Chouchou Namegabe recently received a Vital Voices Award in Washington D.C.. Vital Voices is an international network of women that started in the US. It supports women world wide in their struggle for justice and equality,whether they are combating human trafficking in Ukraine or building women's entrepreneurship in Vietnam. The annual Vital Voices’ Global Leadership Awards honor courageous international women leaders who have expanded democracy and promoted human rights. Chouchou was awarded for her never fading attention for women's issues in Eastern Congo, in her work as a radio presenter and as a founder of AFEM, an organisation for female journalists. Her award was presented by Hollywood moviestar Ben Affleck, who pleaded for more male voices in the discussion on gender based violence: 'As long as violence against women remains strictly a women's issue, it will always be an issue. We men must own this and we must recognise that it is vital to our own survival and we must help our brothers see it as such.'
