The DRC is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the protocol to the African charter on women’s rights. To this end, a delegation from the NGO IPAS met with the Minister of Gender, Mireille Masangu Bibi Muloko, on June 8th. The international NGO came to recall the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Maputo Protocol, scheduled for July 11, and to discuss the various reports on women’s rights as well as the economic empowerment of women in the DRC.
The DYNAFEC (National Dynamics of Women Candidates of the DRC) also gave the Minister its list of candidates in anticipation of the next elections. This initiative aims to encourage greater representation of women politicians in governments and other official bodies.
In addition, the Minister spoke with Ketsia Tshinguta Ilunga, a young woman who represented young Congolese girls during the March 8 dialogue between the Head of State and the women at the People’s Palace. She came to submit the results of the study she conducted on the real difficulties of young Congolese girls regarding their digital integration and to seek the Minister’s input, with a view to providing appropriate solutions.
The adoption of the protocol to the African charter in 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique, remains a turning point in the protection of the rights of women and girls in Africa. The DRC, which ratified it in 2006, must make a greater commitment to the protection of women’s rights, particularly in the drafting of reports and the implementation of concrete measures on the ground.
In sum, the DRC has a responsibility to guarantee equality of all genders before the law and to create an environment conducive to the empowerment and emancipation of women. The initiatives of NGOs such as IPAS and DYNAFEC are therefore to be encouraged in order to meet the challenges that the DRC must face in the fight against discrimination against women.