Submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child for the Period Review of the DRC (Human Rights Watch, 22-8-2008)

A submission by Human Rights Watch to the Committee on the Rights of the Child for its period review of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) presents information on the following human rights abuses:

Continued presence of children in the ranks of the DRC armed forces and non-state armed groups, and new recruitment of child soldiers, including children who were formerly demobilized.
Arbitrary arrest and detention without charge of children allegedly associated with armed opposition groups.
Sexual violence against girls, including rape and prostitution, forced marriage, and discrimination against victims of sexual violence and their children.
Human rights abuses against street children, including violence by the police and military; arbitrary arrest; and discrimination by families and communities.

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child for the Period Review of the DRC