Stand Speak Rise Up!: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa advocates for survivors of wartime sexual violence

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and the president of the non-profit Stand Speak Rise Up!, Chékéba Hachemi, spoke about sexual violence in war zones as Thursday’s editorial guests. Thursday evening will see a screening of the film Muganga at Cinema Utopia, which depicts the work of doctor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr Denis Mukwege. For years, he has treated thousands of survivors of sexual violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In her first live radio interview since the throne succession, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, co-founder of Stand Speak Rise Up, described how a meeting with Dr Mukwege compelled her to use her position to “give a voice to those whom nobody wants to hear or see”. For the NGO’s inaugural forum in 2019, she insisted that survivors, avoiding the use of the word victim, be at the heart of the event.

Survivors, not victims

Fifty survivors attended, leaving with, in Grand Duchess Maria Teresa’s words, their dignity restored and a sense of empowerment, which allowed them to go on and become role models in their home countries. It was this experience that inspired Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Chékéba Hachemi to found their NGO with the aim of raising awareness and to support survivors in the long-term. Today, their efforts have supported more than 8,000 survivors – principally women and children – through economic reconstruction projects all over the world.

Hachemi, president of Stand Speak Rise Up, stressed Luxembourg’s pioneering influence in addressing sexual violence as a weapon of war. She remarked that in 2019, “no one spoke of rape as a weapon of war”, crediting the Grand Duchess as one of the first to raise the issue publicly. Hachemi explained that it was only after the war in Ukraine and the events of 7 October that the topic gained broader attention.

‘The shame must change sides’

The most important need wished for by survivors, the Grand Duchess Maria Teresa explained, is recognition and the demand for justice. She reminded listeners that, under the Rome Statute, rape qualifies as a war crime and a crime against humanity (Articles 7 and 8 of the Rome Statute). For that reason, she said she would issue an appeal to the international political institutions, with the message that the shame must change sides. Those responsible, she argued, must be brought before the courts.

The Franco-Afghan president for her part was critical of the political class. In her view, the political will to act against these crimes is still lacking. She underlined the role of civil society and associations, which she said must keep up the pressure on decision-makers. She described it as the cowardice of politicians not to address the real issues, and said that in the face of such a deafening silence around scourges that concern us all, it is thanks to associations and civil society that they can be pushed into action, citing the adoption of UN Resolution 2467 on the status of children born of rape, which Stand Speak Rise Up helped promote, as a concrete example of progress.

Cinema as a tool against silence

Both guests stressed the importance of films and images in raising awareness. Many people, they noted, would rather look away from the issue, but visual documentation makes the reality of these crimes concrete and brings them closer to the viewer. According to Hachemi, there is real interest in such subjects in Luxembourg, with the association regularly receiving requests to put on conferences, screen documentaries and host film evenings.

Newfound freedom following succession

Following the succession in Luxembourg’s monarchy, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa described entering a new stage in her life. She told RTL she feels “a very pleasant feeling”, especially seeing Grand Duke Guillaume and Grand Duchess Stéphanie embrace their new roles with enthusiasm. She admitted that the relief from her former responsibilities was immense: “One does not realise how heavy the responsibility and the position are, and when it’s over, you feel how light you are.”

This newly found freedom has allowed her to invest more time in her associations and foundation in Luxembourg, as well as in new projects to support children with learning difficulties and refugee women in Luxembourg. She also values spending more time with her family, especially her children and grandchildren.

Asked whether she spends more time abroad now, she concluded that Luxembourg will always be home but that her favourite places are wherever her children and grandchildren are.

Watch the full interview in Luxembourgish and French