58th session of the Human Rights Council
Item 6: Democratic Republic of Congo UPR Adoption
Action Canada for Population and Development
Thank you, President.
Action Canada makes this statement on behalf of the International Youth Alliance For Family Planning DRC and the Sexual Rights Initiative.
We welcome the recommendations made to the Democratic Republic of Congo concerning the effective application of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, and the compliance of national legislation with the Maputo Protocol, which authorises abortion in certain cases.
Since the publication of the Maputo Protocol in the Official Journal, the DRC has taken certain measures to facilitate its application. However, legal obstacles remain, preventing its full implementation and contributing to dangerous practices that endanger women's lives and health and exacerbate social and economic inequalities. These obstacles include the failure to harmonise certain provisions of internal Congolese laws with those of the Maputo Protocol, such as: firstly - the criminal code, which prohibits access to abortion services in all contexts; second, the Congolese public health law of 2018, which makes no reference to access to abortion services; and finally, third the Congolese code of medical ethics, which only permits access to abortion services for therapeutic reasons.
We call on the international community to support the DRC's efforts to build institutional capacity, raise community awareness and ensure access to affordable and quality reproductive health services. These measures will help to reduce maternal mortality, promote gender equality and respect women's rights.
We reiterate our calls to the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to:
- Fully implement the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa throughout the DRC.
- Bring national legislation on access to safe abortion services in line with the Maputo Protocol.
Thank you