The Duchess is a longtime supporter of the United Nations’ Women, Peace and Security agenda, which aims to put more women at the centre of conflict resolution.
On stage, The Duchess recalls a conference in New York, where she met women from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who were receiving threats of rape on their phones.
“These women, whom it is my privilege to serve, do it not out of wanting recognition of any sort, in fact, quite the opposite. They do it in the name of peace, but in putting themselves forward, can end up placing themselves in harm’s way. Frequently, they are subjected to threats of rape and other forms of harm, intimidation towards their families, deportation, and incarceration,” Hello! quotes The Duchess saying.
Asked by a student how those women’s voices can be amplified, The Duchess replied: “I use my voice. I can be their voice in various different forums, in various different settings. That is one way,” she said, and went on to suggest that as a way for everyone to take action: “You can use your voices and immediately play a part as well.”
The Duchess also expressed how sexual violence changes societies, even after conflicts have been resolved: “There are many countries in conflict now where the violence is endemic, and also the reality is sexual violence, violence against women and girls, is something that even after conflict, it’s changing societies,” Hello! reports.
The Duchess of Edinburgh and Prince Edward are visiting Portugal to celebrate the country’s relationship with the UK, the world’s oldest diplomatic alliance, which dates back 640 years to the signing of the Treaty of Windsor.
