A weapon of war, rape and sexual violence against women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo : Arme de guerre, le viol et les violences sexuelles contre les femmes en Republique démocratique du congo

As part of its broader study of these issues, the Subcommittee focused a considerable number of its hearings on the DRC, the eastern regions of which have been labelled the “rape capital of the world.”3 Indeed, the DRC has become a focal point of international concern because of the extremely high incidence of acts of sexual violence that have been committed against women and girls, especially in [...] The Subcommittee’s report highlights the magnitude of the crimes being committed in the DRC and the extremely negative effect they are having on the human rights of women and girls, as well as those of men and boys. [...] Arbour stressed that in Afghanistan, for example, although conflict limits the ability of the Afghan government to meet many of the basic needs of its people, the failure to ensure that women and girls enjoy their rights under the Afghan Constitution and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against 12. [...] The UN has documented human rights violations during the electoral period and the Government of the DRC’s response in: UNJHRO, Report by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office on the Violations of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms Committed During the Electoral Period in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as on the Actions Taken by Congolese Authorities in Response to these Vi [...] Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Addendum to the Interim report of the Group of Experts on the DRC (S/2012/348) concerning violations of the arms embargo and sanctions regime by the Government of Rwanda, Security Council, 27 June 2012, UN Doc.