What steps has the Government of the DRC taken to halt the incidents of intimidation, death threats, arbitrary arrests and other human rights violations committed against human rights defenders and journalists by State officials and armed groups? Which measures has the Government taken to criminalize acts of violence against children accused of witchcraft and to organize a national campaign of awareness-raising on the issue? CZECH REPUBLIC When will the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo establish an independent national preventive mechanism in accordance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment? Does the Government consider abolishing the death penalty? If so, in what timeframe? What measures have been taken to stem the involvement of members of the national defence and security forces in sexual violence against women, especially in the East of the country? How does the Government implement numerous critical recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women related to the protection of the draft Family Code prepared in accordance women’s rights? Was with the CEDAW recommendations? Does the Government consider adopting new Law on Gender Equality as recently recommended by the CEDAW? Has the Government implemented recommendations of international election observation missions observing the 2011 presidential and legislative elections, especially the ones relating to the equal political participation? What concrete steps have been undertaken in this regard? GERMANY The protection of civilians, in particular of women and children, remains of serious concern in the DRC. In this context, reports of crimes and sexual violence committed by members of State security forces and armed groups continue to surface. What concrete measures has the DRC adopted, for instance in the field of training and education, to further enhance awareness among all members of the police and army, regardless of rank, to protect civilians and their human rights? What steps has the government taken to strengthen the judicial system with a view to fight corruption, end impunity of those accountable and ensure international fair trial standards? In 2009, Germany recommended that the DRC strengthen its efforts to reform the FARDC and to improve military justice. So far, little progress has been made on a
What steps has the Government of the DRC taken to halt the incidents of intimidation, death threats, arbitrary arrests and other human rights violations committed against human rights defenders and journalists by State officials and armed groups? Which measures has the Government taken to criminalize acts of violence against children accused of witchcraft and to organize a national campaign of awareness-raising on the issue? CZECH REPUBLIC When will the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo establish an independent national preventive mechanism in accordance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment? Does the Government consider abolishing the death penalty? If so, in what timeframe? What measures have been taken to stem the involvement of members of the national defence and security forces in sexual violence against women, especially in the East of the country? How does the Government implement numerous critical recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women related to the protection of women’s rights? Was the draft Family Code prepared in accordance with the CEDAW recommendations? Does the Government consider adopting new Law on Gender Equality as recently recommended by the CEDAW? Has the Government implemented recommendations of international election observation missions observing the 2011 presidential and legislative elections, especially the ones relating to the equal political participation? What concrete steps have been undertaken in this regard? GERMANY The protection of civilians, in particular of women and children, remains of serious concern in the DRC. In this context, reports of crimes and sexual violence committed by members of State security forces and armed groups continue to surface. What concrete measures has the DRC adopted, for instance in the field of training and education, to further enhance awareness among all members of the police and army, regardless of rank, to protect civilians and their human rights? What steps has the government taken to strengthen the judicial system with a view to fight corruption, end impunity of those accountable and ensure international fair trial standards? In 2009, Germany recommended that the DRC strengthen its efforts to reform the FARDC and to improve military justice. So far, little progress has been made on a
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