© Domingos Oliveira (RTL)
The Stand Speak Rise Up forum began on Tuesday at the Kirchberg European Convention Center. Organised by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, the forum concerns the use of sexual assault as a weapon against women in war zones.
The forum will take place over Tuesday and Wednesday. Amongst the invited are the joint 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureates Dr Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad and fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Mohammed Yunus.
© Domingos Oliveira (RTL)
The forum's guests also consist of national and international experts, as well as victims of sexual assault, who are telling their stories. In an interview with RTL last week, the Grand Duchess explained that the topic is current, but does not have adequate exposure in the media. She explained that for these women, sexual assault is weaponised and quite often includes torture.
© Domingos Oliveira (RTL)
In addition to workshops, conferences, and talks, an application is also being presented at the forum. The BackUp app, launched and tested by the NGO "We are not weapons of war", allows affected people to report sexual assault. The app was developed in Luxembourg.
The app does not function like classic apps, but instead has the appearance of a mobile website. As international law expert Céline Bardet explained, this is a small, but important difference. The app provides victims with security through the way it is designed.
The app, developed by Bardet and the NGO "We are not weapons of war", was tested in Libya over the last few months. Its purposes are twofold. First of all, a victim can report an assault through the app, which is encrypted and automatically collects information that can provide the basis of evidence. The mobile support receives alerts in real time.
The app was developed by INTEC in Luxembourg and will officially be presented at the forum. The Grand Duchess hopes that its uses will not just be limited to war zones in the future.
