Paper long abstract:

The Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced numerous conflicts, political instability, and human insecurity for decades. Amidst this state of chaos and insecurity, women have been largely the victims of acts of sexual and gender-based violence, some of which have been inspired by the various conflicts, while others are on a domestic level. In 2006, the United Nations (UN) established a human rights monitoring mechanism known as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) to encourage states to make progress on safeguarding and promoting human rights. This peer review process consists of UN member states meeting every four and a half years and issuing recommendations to fellow states concerning specific measures that need to be taken to address ongoing human rights challenges.

Despite DR Congo’s political instability and endless conflicts, the state has been consistently involved in this UPR process since its inception. It has participated in all three cycles and has not only issued recommendations to fellow UN member states but has, in some cases, also accepted some of these recommendations. However, little is known about the full extent to which DR Congo has taken steps to implement these recommendations. With a focus on violence against women, this paper examines to what extend DR Congo has implemented the UPR recommendations received in its first two UPR cycles to ascertain the extent of implementation as well as specific measures taken in this regard. The main question addressed is: to what extent has DR Congo implemented UPR recommendations concerning violence against women?

This paper seeks to explore how the rights of women, specifically their right to be free from violence are safeguarded amidst the almost perpetual state of human insecurity in the country. This paper sheds light on the potential role of the UPR in advancing human rights, especially in conflict-prone states and by extension, its ability to contribute towards the advancement of human security.