About the chair
The International Chair on "Violence against Women and Girls in Conflicts" (abbreviated as the "Mukwege Chair") is the result of an initiative launched by Professor Emeritus (University of Liege) Véronique De Keyser, Honorary deputy of the European Parliament, following the initial contacts of Dr. Denis Mukwege in November 2013 with psychologists from the Faculty of Psychology, Speech Therapy, and Education Sciences (FPLSE) and doctors from the University Hospital of Liège, with the aim of setting up cooperation programs for the follow-up of survivors of sexual violence.
The Mukwege Chair aims to develop interdisciplinary research in the field of sexual violence and gender-based violence and to federate knowledge from various partners and universities worldwide on this topic. Indeed, Dr Mukwege's wish is that interventions - which are made available to survivors through the holistic model and are available at "one-stop centers" - be evidence-based to:
- 1. Provide them with the highest quality of medical care;
- 2. Support them in overcoming the trauma they have experienced;
- 3. Promote their economic and community reintegration; and,
- 4. Enable them to understand their rights and obtain justice and reparation.
At the heart of this support are activities targeting advocacy for gender equality in society and communities as well as the empowerment of women in general, survivors of sexual violence, and agressions based on gender, particularly those related to armed conflicts.
1st congress of the chair took place in November 2019 at the University of Liège, Belgium, under the theme "Violence against Women and Girls in Conflicts." More information
2nd congress - November 2022, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. Central theme: Reparation for victims of sexual and gender-based violence. More information
3rd rd congress - November 2023, Liège, Belgium. Central theme: Fighting impunity for perpetrators of violence against women and men in armed conflicts. More information
4th congress, June 2024, Angers, France. Central theme: Sexual violence and childhood in war. More information
UdeM became a member of the International Mukwege Chair in 2019,for granting an Honorary Doctorate to the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Pr Denis Mukwege.
This content has been updated on 20 February 2024 at 19h46.