In 2002 Justine Masika participated in the survey of violence committed against women in the emergency camps for the Nyiragongo volcano. She found the results terrifying , particularly as far as sexual violence was concerned. In light of the extent of this violence and the associated consequences (death of women due to lack of money for medical care, rejection by the community, discrimination...) she was forced to ask for help by appealing to people to come and assist these women. Following tow meetings of consultation and action with other organisations, a decision was taken to establish SFVS - Association of Women for the Victims of Sexual Violence. The organisation is divided into 3 sections: 1. psycholo-social section, 2. medical section and 3. legal defence section.

"The contribution of female human rights defenders throughout the world is exceptional; they fight to have human rights respected and for participation in public life.

Women work to end the discrimination and abuse of which they they are often victims, such as rape, illegal abortion, conjugal violence, access to education and to health. Women are at the heart of the human rights movement in many regions.

Women have both a reproductive and a productive role, however the first takes precedence over the latter.

Women cannot undertake large-scale activities. In certain areas the female human rights defender is seen as opposing traditional customs and this has consequences for her family e.g. the family’s influence forces her to abandon her work for her own safety and that of her family (denouncing human rights violations which puts her family in danger, participating in international meetings, or in the case of strengthening professional ability for the sake of family responsibility, spousal pressure preventing female human rights defenders from speaking on air and leading public activities, society suspecting female human rights defenders of adultery due to their frequent absence from the home. A female human rights defender works in a difficult context in the east of the DRC, the case of this adviser of the SFVS.

The first instance: she was raped by 6 soldiers who had already killed her husband and raped her 4 daughters and stole their possessions.

The second instance: On the 27/12/2006 returning from an activity creating awareness of sexual violence she saw a woman hanging from a tree. Her attackers had raped her and put a piece of wood into her vagina. The adviser was unable to save the victim however as she (the victim) was unable to walk she died from the torture she had suffered. The adviser had to bury her alone and was then raped by 4 rapists from the same group over 7 hours."