Human rights Casestudy: Impact of governance on DRC. Flashcards
What are the human rights issues in the DRC?
- Civilian loss of life, disappearances, torture and rape
- People displaced from homes (IDPs) and refugees
- Limited access to healthcare and education
- High rates of maternal and infant mortality
- Food insecurity and high incidence of malnutrition
- Child recruitment into military groups
- Trafficking
- Forced labour
- Domestic violence
- Limited land and property rights for women.
In the Congo, the UN Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) has replaced the Peacekeeping Mission (MONUC) - true or false?
True
The UN Stabilization Mission is an example of a global governance strategy used in the DRC, what is it’s role?
- MONUSCO has intervention aims to protect civilians, humanitarian personnel and human rights defenders that face imminent threat of physical violence.
- The UN Stabilization Mission supports the DRC government in attempting to consolidate peace efforts.
- It deploys 18000 personnel near Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi borders.
How is the new President of the DRC (since 2019) improving the DRCs human rights dilemmas?
- Tshisekedi has made positive changes by creating a coalition government
- The coalition governments aims include: improvements in governance, economic development, safety and access to healthcare, sanitation and education.
The national government (president) of the DRC is working alongside global governance agencies - true or false?
- True
- The coalition government formed in the DRC recognizes the importance of co-operation and co-ordination in working with the UN and NGOs.
What is the cause of human rights violations in the DRC?
- HR violations are linked to civil war, poverty and corruption in the DRC
What are some examples of UN agencies co-operating with the Congolese government to achieve stabilization and development?
- OHCHR (office of the united nations high commissioner for human rights): overseeing human rights, especially in the east
- UNICEF: provides primary education
- WHO: responds to Ebola and measles outbreaks
In the DRC, what are the 2 main NGOs operating in current areas of conflict?
- CARE
- Action Aid
As one of 2 main NGOs operating in the DRCs areas of conflict, what is the role of CARE NGO?
- CARE helps to…
- Reduce mortality
- Strengthen local governance
- Improve gender equality
- Improve food security
- Reduce vulnerability to social injustices - especially for political migrants
As one of 2 main NGOs operating in the DRCs areas of conflict, what is the role of Action Aid?
- Action Aid helps to..
- Work top improve community resilience, they do this by providing agricultural tools, seeds and training to promote self sufficiency.
- Provide access to education for children.
What is the role of USAID in the DRC global governance of human rights?
- Funds a number of NGOs
- Has development programs such as: encouraging democracy, improving education and raising incomes.
- For example: USAID acts in support of small-scale coffee farmers in the east of the country.
What does UK Aid Direct do for the DRC?
- Provides funds for smaller CSOs working in the DRC to promote and protect human rights.
What opportunities for stability are there in the DRC?
- The UN missions provides an opportunity to improve political stability from preventing the recurrence of major conflict and promoting unification of the country.
- The 2019 election of the new President was the first peaceful transfer of power in the country’s history
- The UN and African Union have established peace and security and human rights treaties available for the government to sign and ratify
What opportunities for growth are there in the DRC?
- The DRC has opportunities for growth in the sense that it has the potential to become one of the richest economies in Africa - they have excess resources of minerals including: gold, diamonds, tin, uranium, oil, copper and cobalt used in smartphone batteries.
- Recent economic growth has been 3.9% in 2020, this is from increased global demand for copper and cobalt in smartphones.
- The UN Stabilizing Mission has enabled a wider range of service provision which helps to stimulate local economies
- NGOs promote economic growth at a local scale through training and employment in agriculture, and development of grassroot women organizations.
What opportunities for development are there in the DRC?
- The DRC’s HDI has improved, although slowly, - by 2018 it was 0.459, and 179th.
- The World Bank Group aims to fight poverty and improve standards of living.
- The World Bank Group’s projects include:.
- Equal access to education
- Forest management, working with the indigenous to improve livelihood, conserve biodiversity and forest resources.
- Supporting the government in preventing food insecurity and malnourishment in children and pregnant women.
- Promoting behavioral change towards gender inequality
- Supporting micro, small and medium sized enterprises to increase employment opportunities.
What challenges of inequality are there in the DRC?
- Gender inequality
- Many females are subject to domestic violence.
- Efforts to improve the status of women beyond that of raising children and working in agriculture in rural communities is difficult.
- Many women and children are exposed to sex trafficking and forced labor.
- There are difficulties in improving access to primary education for young girls: 1/2 of 15-24 year old women are illiterate.
- There are challenges in empowering women to have control over family size: average fertility rate: 5.7.
- Many young children are forcibly recruited as child soldiers
- There is limited access to healthcare and education through the country, with rural areas most affected.
- Rural populations have limited access to clean water and sanitation and are subjected to water-borne disease and the pervasive problem of malaria.
- There is a high IMR of 68 per 1000 live births and MMR of 473 per 100,000 live births.
What challenges of injustice are there in the DRC?
- The Government needs to strengthen the rule of law, this is by ensuring elections are democratic, support an independent and effective judiciary, reduce levels of poverty etc…
- An injustice is vulnerable children from urban areas, orphaned or separated from their families who require protection
- The DRC state apparatus needs strengthening: the government needs to protect it’s civilians from serious HR violations, especially in the East.
- 74% of the population live in extreme poverty on less than $1.90 per day. Many are driven into artisanal mining which has dangerous conditions and exploitation issues with traders offering unfair prices.
