Ce Working Paper analyse le rôle et les pratiques des groupes de femmes en lien avec la protection des femmes dans les provinces du Nord et du Sud-Kivu en République démocratique du Congo (RDC). En confrontant les éléments qualitatifs provenant des communautés au Congo et la littérature sur le pouvoir d’action des femmes, nous explorons les lieux, les stratégies et les répertoires utilisés par les femmes pour augmenter leur participation dans les structures de protection de la communauté.

This Working Paper analyses the role and practices of women’s groups in relation to women’s protection in the provinces of North and South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Contrasting qualitative materials from communities in Congo with the literature on women’s agency, we explore the spaces, strategies, and repertoires used by women to increase their participation in community protection structures. Using case studies from North and South Kivu, including protection projects supported by ActionAid and Oxfam, we show how women’s leadership groups can constitute an empowering space and vehicle for women’s collective negotiation for protection which spans across several interrelated spheres: domestic, community, and professional, as well as legal, religious, and customary. Through our analysis of how women’s groups shape protection discourses and progressively change practices, we aim to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of what a women-led approach to protection means in practice as well as the challenges and opportunities that women face in order to expand their agency in a conflict-affected and patriarchal context.