"In one of my recent trips to the Congo, I met up with a little girl who is 15 years old. She had been violently raped by one of the rebel groups, and she had been hauled for 3 months in a pit and everyday another combatant would come and rape her...and then they killed her best friend who was in the pit with her" said Anneke Van Woudenberg, a senior Human Rights Researcher.

Hundreds of thousands of women have been raped in Congo and over 5 million people have died since 1996. The perpetrators of these crimes have gone unpunished. The Congolese people are still longing for peace.

On October 1, 2010, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights released the UN Mapping Exercise Report for the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1993 - 2003. The report details the most serious crimes against humanity during that period. The report also includes recommendations for the international community.

A panel of experts, survivors, witnesses, and advocates will address the US Senate on what American lawmakers can do to help people of the Congo resolve the conflict and how the Mapping Report can be used as a tool for justice. The panel will also address the election taking place in DR Congo today and its implication on peace in Congo.