DR Congo rapes, child soldiers in focus at UN rights review

[World News]

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The Democratic Republic of Congo should do more to stop sexual violence and ensure children are not recruited as soldiers, diplomats said Tuesday during a UN review of the country's rights record. Diplomats gathered at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva praised DR Congo for its efforts to rid the country of the rampant sexual violence that has plagued it for two decades, but said more needed to be done. Namibia's representative called for DR Congo to "enact specific legislation to eradicate all sexual gender-based incidents of violence and punish the perpetrators of sexual violence." The Congolese government reported 15,352 cases of sexual violence in seven provinces last year, with data showing that armed groups committed more than half of the assaults.

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