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Countries & Regions


Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has a population estimated at 66 million (UN, 2009) with an area of 2.34 million sq km (905,354 sq miles), the capital is Kinshasa. The major languages are French, Lingala, Kiswahili, Kikongo, Tshiluba.
 
The DRC continues to experience violence in the Eastern regions. The five-year conflict of 1998-2003 claimed an estimated three million lives, either as a direct result of fighting or because of disease and malnutrition. High levels of rape and other forms of sexual violence continue throughout the country, with a concentration in eastern DRC, where armed group fighters and government soldiers are the principal perpetrators. Many women and girls suffered gang rape, most of them are  raped more than once or are held in sexual slavery.

  • DRC ratified The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on October, 17 1986

  • DRC adopted a National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 in 2010, for further information please click here

  • DRC has a UN peacekeeping mandate:United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) which is the UN largest peacekeeping mission.


Sources:BBC; Amnesty International; UNIFEM

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  • May 3, 2012 (UN News Service)
    DRC: UN Envoy Concerned About Possible Sexual Violence Amid Latest Fighting A top United Nations official has voiced her concern about the latest wave of fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), especially in areas that have previously witnessed sexual violence committed against civilians by members of armed groups.
  • April 18, 2012 (MSF)
    DRC: A Fashion Show Featuring Women Living with HIV This past March was designated women's month in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In order to close it out on a high note, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams in DRC did something a little unusual. Along with Médecins du Monde and the Réseau National Des Organisations d'Assise Communautaires des PVV (the RNOAC, a national network of community-based organizations that assists people with HIV/AIDS), they organized a fashion show on March 30 that featured 12 women living with HIV/AIDS. The goal was threefold: to fight discrimination against people living with HIV, to alert the public to the tragic lack of access to treatment in the country, and to show what is possible when treatment is made available.
  • April 3, 2012 (AlertNet)
    DRC: Reducing Gender Based Violence in DRC through Behaviour Change Strategies The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become infamous in recent years as the “rape capital of the world,” known for its alarmingly high rates of sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) in its eastern region. I know it for the Congolese women and men with whom I work every day, guided by the hope that social and behavior change communication methodologies can contribute to the reduction of GBV in this conflict-affected country.
  • April 3, 2012 (Alert Net)
    DRC: Reducing Gender-based Violence in DRC Through Behavior Change Strategies The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become infamous in recent years as the “rape capital of the world,” known for its alarmingly high rates of sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) in its eastern region. I know it for the Congolese women and men with whom I work every day, guided by the hope that social and behavior change communication methodologies can contribute to the reduction of GBV in this conflict-affected country.
  • March 21, 2012 (Sys-Con Media)
    DRC: CBM'S Fistula Campaign Aims to Give Women Back Their Dignity On 22nd March 2012, CBM, the overseas disability charity, will be running a UK wide awareness campaign about their work in the treatment and rehabilitation of women who have/have had Obstetric Fistula. The campaign aims to bring this "woman's issue" to the fore.

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Sources

BBC Countries Profiles

Amnesty International

United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)

WILPF DRC Section

President

Annie Matundu Mbambi
Mont Ngafula
Kinshasa
E-mail: amatmbambi@yahoo.fr

Contact in the UK (if communications are difficult)

Marie-Claire Faray
52-54 Feathestone Street
London, EC1Y 8RT
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 207 250 1968
E-mail: mfaray@hotmail.com

WILPF DRC Section

Security Council Resolution 1325 Translations


 

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