UN Child Rights Committee to review the Democratic Republic of the Congo

GENEVA (12 January 2017) – Children’s rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)  will be reviewed by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on 18 and 19 January in sessions that will be webcast live. The DRC is one of the 196 States that have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and so is required to be reviewed regularly by the Committee of 18 independent experts.

In addition, members will examine the DRC’s implementation of the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (OPSC).

Among the possible issues to be raised during the discussion between the Committee and a delegation from the Democratic Republic of the Congo are:
·    Low birth registration rate, especially in Nord Kivu;
·    Elimination of corporal punishment;
·    Sexual violence against girls, including high incidence of rape;
·    High mortality rates among children;
·    Prohibition of female genital mutilation and forced and child marriage;
·    Protection of children in street situations;
·    Elimination of worst forms of child labour, including use of children in mining;
·    Allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by military personnel;
·    Demobilisation, rehabilitation and reintegration of former child soldiers.

The list of issues and the DRC’s written replies can be found here.

The discussions will take place at Palais Wilson in Geneva on 18 January from 15:00-18:00 and on 19 January from 10:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00. The meetings are public and will be webcast at http://webtv.un.org/. 

Committee members will base their evaluation on the delegation’s report and replies, as well as information from civil society groups.

The findings, officially known as concluding observations, will be published on 8 February here.

ENDS

For media requests please contact:
Nicoleta Panta,  +41(0) 22 9179310/npanta@ohchr.org
Media accreditation:     http://unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpPages)/70991F6887C73B2280256EE700379C58?OpenDocument

Background:

Members of the CRC are independent human rights experts drawn from around the world, who serve in their personal capacity and not as representatives of States parties. The Committee’s concluding observations are an independent assessment of States’ compliance with their human rights obligations under the treaty. To learn more about the Committee on the Rights of the Child: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRC/Pages/CRCIndex.aspx

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