12
Child Trafficking
13
Child scarification
14
Introduction to sects
15
Religious Indoctrination
16
Incitement to debauchery
17
Withdrawal from school
18
Sodomy
19
Self-medication
Source: Register of social services to the military.
8
3
12
106
362
56
3
32
The testimony of the social services within law enforcement structures (Police and
Gendarmerie), confirms the existence of these harmful practices, including female genital
mutilations which were attributed solely to foreign communities. Sexual perversions rank
first amongst the number of registered cases. Several of them fall under the Criminal
Procedure Code and are punishable by imprisonment. They reflect the work of prevention
and dissuasion that remains to be done, especially around the component 4 (crime prevention)
of the Judicial Child Protection Action Plan.
I 3 - Coordination and monitoring of the implementation
It should be noted that the permanent coordination of national and departmental activities in
favour of the child has not been provided for over fifteen years (corresponding to the
beginning of armed conflict in 1995). Since then, apart from the occasional supervisory
commissions for the 2001 World Summit on Children and the Global Movement for
Children, nothing has been done to revive and assign dedicated and competent officers.
The National Commission in place since the 70s benefited from legal instruments and an
annual budget line. Under the supervision of the Presidency of the Republic, it had enough
authority to meet and engage with all relevant national powers (including civil society and
leaders of foreign communities) on the implementation of the CRC. The Commission worked
on the basis of an annual programme of activities, which was evaluated, reviewed, corrected
and re-launched on the occasion of the annual session of its General Assembly. It was,
undoubtedly, a privileged space for dialogue, communication, dissemination and
popularisation of national and international instruments for child protection and could serve
as support and monitoring body for UNICEF Congo’s cooperation programmes and a
platform for mobilising domestic and international resources. The recommendation to
reactivate the Children's Committee is therefore welcome. The ministry in charge of
vulnerable children is currently reflecting on the conditions of its resurgence and
revitalisation.
It should be noted that there is a second level of coordination, which is rather technical, on
the implementation activities of the provisions of the CRC. This is the Inter ministerial
Committee of Directors General of monitoring and coordination of UNICEF Congo’s
cooperation programmes established by presidential decree in view of monitoring the actions
of the cooperation programme. It brings together the directors general for Planning, Health,
Social Affairs, Youth, Promotion of Women, Territorial Administration (civil government)
and the General Secretariat of Justice. It has a budget line, which allows it to ensure, with the
support of UNICEF funds, the organisation of consultation meetings. The coordination is
considered quite effective, but it is not functional enough because of the lack of a related
technical body on monitoring and evaluation and the regular production of statistical data.
23