I thank Ms. Cyndi GREGG representative of Ambassador of the United States of America Congo , for the opportunity today to make this presentation on Human Rights Women in the Republic of Congo . Being a
chat discussions that took place on November 25, 2007 Day declared globally as the International Day the elimination of violence against women, I will briefly mention a few essential rights that are generally subjected to violence both physical and legal on the part of both men and women who deserve to be considered over the means to eliminate the power in our society.
Part 1: VIOLENCE RELATED QUALITY OF WOMEN
These are numerous, they are of all kinds: family, sexual, social. They are exercised on them, against them by men or even women.
At the family level: it all starts at birth. In many customs that a wife gives birth to a daughter is considered a disgrace to the husband who, after 3-4 births have hoped for a boy to carry the surname of the father. It will be established an atmosphere of desolation, insults to the woman standing in the long run lead to the husband taking a second wife in the hope that it will give the boys as he wishes. You can understand the moral violence experienced this mother and her daughters with respect to this father and in-laws who will harp on the past making them an object of reproduction (the mother) and sub-humans (for girls). This kind of violence we encounter in many illiterate people can not disappear with the contribution of men and women who operate in association whose purpose is to defend human rights. Indeed, they are better placed as the doctors to explain the phenomenon that led to the birth of a daughter or that of a boy in a couple.
We all know that the right to education is a fundamental right recognized by our constitution of 20 January 2002 as well as multiple international treaties, many of these are girls who are devoted to domestic work, rural school in defiance of making them literate lifetime. When we see the regret they lodge to adulthood have not been educated, we can say that they are victims of violence as a moral woman who can neither read nor write is often subject to abuse for which she prefers to resign rather than speak to the appropriate person to seek redress.
family in many cases is the structure within which it exercises that forced marriages are another kind of violence to many minor. In these cases it is not that fathers who are forcing teenage girls to marry adults. Mothers, who should oppose it because of all they endured with the tradition in their marriage, are the first to force their daughter to marry or to save their homes, either to obtain the material means son able to improve their living conditions.
You notice that not only men who abuse their daughters, mothers do the same. All the adverse effects caused by these forced marriages are punishable by law. We must help these young girls to expose them, and especially to get their annulment from the courts when it comes to marriage vital.
For legal solutions, a great work of education must be made in respect of these parents to include thé disastrous consequences of such early marriages of minors that can lead to death.
The constitution of January 20, 2002 recognizes the woman the freedom of thought, conscience and religion, assembly and association . It's in the realization of human rights that occur often contradictions between the husband and qu'interviennent physical violence by the husband against his wife. There are many cases without providing you with comprehensive statistics on this kind of violence I can assure you that this is the daily violence to which women have recourse to the legal clinic Bacongo not to help them file complaints with courts but rather to ask for our help so that our intervention may allow the spouse or even friends to be understanding about it. These behaviors of women that are shared between the desire to keep their homes and avoiding the punishment of those who are perpetrators of physical violence afflict us. When the facts are very serious and that we insist on an appeal to recent attack on judges, even refusing to appear to clarify the facts. All this means that impunity as condemned by many people at this level does not come from judges but from the woman herself.
We also causing bodily injury causing death without intent to give (the poorly made abortions leading to death). Mostly they are girls who are left with pregnancies whose fathers refuse paternity, or they ask the girl to interrupt the pregnancy, or is the girl who is not sure when the relationship that she has with this man decides to abort. This is a crime for which the lover who gave money to the said practice is condemned abortion and the doctor or midwife who has practiced for a felony. Experience has shown that when there's death girl no autopsy is done to confirm the link between death and abortion was done, hence we know the acquittals in the criminal courts where such evidence is lacking.
With all the consequences that such causes of abortions, I would advise girls to avoid them as an adult when they find a husband, they are sterile and accuse the uncles and aunts to be the authors of their infertility because they are witches. Finally we
sexual violence including rape committed by a third party, and those committed by spouses. For the former, Women confide easily with people they believe that interventions can protect them from certain diseases, namely HIV / AIDS. My experience at the association is that the victims are ashamed to speak for not being singled out by society on the one hand, on the other hand, the relevant proceedings are public, it would be appropriate with the revision of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which is currently reflecting on the possibility of introducing the closed doors where it is a rape case.
Regarding rape between spouses who are related to the conception that man has of his wife, but rather an educational work must be done to the couple. From my experience of the courts, associations of my life, very few women who enter the court to complain of rape by their husbands because women generally have to be afraid of being abandoned by him, or they fear that the husband from the marital home.
We also found an increase in incest vis-à-vis the minor . We believe these actions that traumatize children should be denounced by any person who knows the area so that the perpetrators could be severely punished. To get penalties should I repeat and insist the report from prosecutors who have skills to make investigations. In case this sounds difficult legal clinic based at the cathedral Bacongo will help you do so.
We will finish by the violence in the family know that the majority of widows upon the death of their spouse and upon liquidation of the estate. It is appropriate that with everything we find that women victims of such to denounce the actions that the court level, they are remisent their rights, especially violence that in turn these are experienced by orphans.
Finally a woman is entitled to an occupation. At this level it is experiencing both the violence of his employer about the harassment, as those of her husband who arranges for offensive behavior to lead to depression. While harassment is not punishable under our criminal code, which is currently under review. The woman has the opportunity to seize the Crown which, by the powers he has, will understand the employer What are its limits in terms of employment. What has been said is valid for students and student victims of sexual harassment. Many students and those students who complain about the behavior of their teachers, we are shocked by this phenomenon which is destroying our children and especially a blow to the future of our country. We are ready to receive you while reassuring you that our numerous contacts with the supervisors of these teachers have put an end to these practices.
Given this situation what should we do? It is time that we take advantage of this campaign "16 Days of Activism violence against women "who said violence a question of human rights to address the issue of violence with proper remedies that take into account our particular sociology.
Part 2: PROPOSALS
The seriousness of the phenomenon of violence against women must call from us very strong responses. We can not talk about a fairly if we do not have good statistical knowledge of various forms of violence in our country. Thanks to the characterization of different types of violence with numbers provided by them studies that we can increase awareness and especially to adapt measures to the facts. However until these studies we need to improve prevention through awareness of society and especially the prevention of recidivism. All means must be used: the media raids in neighborhoods, in services, university, schools, markets, churches etc..
Better protection of victims should be provided with many facilities for receiving the abused women and their children . Finally, we propose a better coordination of actors and relays throughout the country that will allow different departments to have people able to meet the needs of victims.
Ladies and gentlemen I thank you and that starts the campaign "16 days of activism against violence against women."
Yvonne Kimbembe
Advocate General at the Supreme Court of Congo
President of the Review Board of the Family Code
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