Grace Mundela

The Violation of the Rights of the Child: the Case of the Democratic Republic of Congo Grace Mundela

The Convention on the Rights of the Child CRC, almost ratified by all states, contains a comprehensive list of Human Rights relating to children which should be respected, promoted, protected and fulfilled. Furthermore, especially for children in armed conflict, the CRC sets up measures which all states parties must implement in order to protect them. The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) also sets up some measures to protect them in armed conflict according to International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law. Nevertheless, during the last twelve years, the Democratic Republic of Congo was a battlefield in which all the six grave violations against children set by the UN Security Council in its resolution 1612 were committed. Therefore, the DRC is responsible for the violation of children?s rights set in the various legal instruments protecting children in period of armed conflict. Despite the responsibility of the state, armed groups or individuals are also recognized as criminally responsible of the violation of the rights of children. Children represent our societies and their protection represents a right and a human security issue