LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is stepping up efforts to combat rape in a bid to shake off the label of being the “rape capital of the world”, the presidential adviser on sexual violence said on Thursday.

Sexual violence in Congo is often regarded as a by-product of years of fighting in the east of the country, where atrocities were blamed on soldiers and rebels - but rape is also rife beyond the conflict zones.

President Joseph Kabila set up the office of presidential adviser on sexual violence and child recruitment in July 2014, and adviser Jeanine Mabunda Lioko says that while battling rape she is also trying to change the world’s negative perception of the central African country.

“This tag is making the work difficult. It’s vested in the mentality of people,” Mabunda Lioko said, speaking at an event organized by the London think tank Chatham House.

“DRC does not only have this legacy of rape, there are also other stories which are not rape or politics.”

She said her main task was the fight against impunity, which meant improving the civilian and military justice systems and providing better services for rape victims.

“There was a time when rapists were not held accountable for their crime and ... public officials were perceived as complacent about rape cases,” said Mabunda Lioko, whose appointment the United Nations hailed as “a new dawn” in the fight against sexual violence in the DRC.

“But we are trying to change this and move forward ... to inspire a culture of zero tolerance for sexual violence. We have tried to set up ... standards and precedents so that everybody can know that we are not joking any more about that issue.”

Between 2013 and 2015 there was a 50 percent reduction in cases of sexual violence in the DRC, Mabunda Lioko said, citing United Nations figures.

“Now with the return of peace we have the opportunity to change the story, to change the narrative, to change the critical issue once and for all, we have no more excuse.”

In November, Congolese army general Jerome Kakwavu became the highest ranking official to be convicted of rape by a military tribunal in Congo, for a crime carried out while he was a rebel commander in northeastern Congo from 2003-2005.

“You start at the top because day-to-day people need to get an example from the top, and they have to know that everybody is held accountable, no matter what (their rank or position)”, Mabunda Lioko said.

Her partners in the drive to reduce sexual violence include the Congolese army, which initially found her annoying and intrusive and considered excluding her, she said.

One of the difficulties she faces is customs such as marrying off young girls, because people often do not understand that having sex with under-age girls amounts to rape, she said.

“Some issues are taboos, (yet you have to) make them understand that you cannot build society by marrying 12-year-old girls.”

As part of the “Break the silence” campaign aimed at informing people about the laws governing these issues, Mabunda Lioko’s office has set up a helpline for victims, offering to refer them to medical and legal experts.

Millions died in a war in eastern Congo between 1998 and 2003, mostly from hunger and disease. The region has since been plagued by instability, as the government has struggled to stop dozens of armed groups competing for its vast natural resources.