242. Ultimately, the legal arsenal put in place today in the DRC ensures the protection of the rights of persons, particularly those of women and girls, and the crackdown on sexual abuses against them. Law No. 06/018 on the elimination of sexual violence focuses on an amendment of the criminal code, but also condemns the deliberate transmission of incurable sexually transmitted infections. 243. On the other hand, the establishment of legal clinics strengthens the legal aid for victims of sexual violence. The current outcomes are very satisfactory, although women remain more affected than men.  Sex Education (Article 14(1) (G)) 244. In the area of sex education, services are mainly targeted at adolescents and the youth, and sometimes adults. Service providers are often closely associated with religious denominations, i.e. the Catholic Church, the Protestant Church and others. Aspects linked to sexuality are either included in life-long education lessons or presented in the form of sensitization sessions. 245. However, the Congolese Government has since 2003 paved the way with the establishment of the National Adolescent Health Programme. In fact, departmental order No. 1250/CAB/MINIS/001 of 13 January, 2003 puts in place a programme responsible for adolescent health aimed at warning adolescents against early and unprotected sex, early and unwanted pregnancy and risks of contracting HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases as well as against unsafe abortion in schools in particular and among the youth in general. 246. Many administrative measures have been taken to support the said order, in spite of their inadequate application and the lack of monitoring. The same also goes for the establishment of adolescent and youth centres throughout the country to offer specific reproductive health services as well as to ensure the promotion of the use of contraceptives for the prevention of STIs and HIV/AIDS and the establishment of the Network of Youth to Combat HIV/AIDS. With the support of its traditional partners, and under the coordination of the PNLS, the Congolese government is regularly ensuring the training of sex workers, particularly women, in order to protect themselves and their sex partners from HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. 247. Thus, the Government has been playing a bigger role in sex education since 2014 by incorporating subjects relating to family and sex life into the educational system in order to combat the transmission of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections in schools. 248. In view of the current situation characterized by the fact that an increasing number of women and young people are being infected by HIV/AIDS, the use of contraceptives is being encouraged through sensitization activities with the possibility of access to the modes of prevention. It is precisely for this reason that the National Adolescent Health Programme is training peer educators consisting of young people educating other young people (boys and girls in schools and sports circles) on the various aspects of life, including youth sexuality and the fight against HIV/AIDS. 5. ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS 249. The medium and long term development vision of the DRC, as defined in the Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy Paper (PRGSP II) outlining the economic and social policy of the country, is to partner all stakeholders to build a society without discrimination where men, women, girls and boys have the same opportunities and rights to participate in its development and to enjoy the benefits of its growth. 250. However, a comparative analysis of the situation of men and women in the Democratic Republic of Congo shows persistent gender disparities which have more serious effects on women in all spheres of economic, social and cultural development. These gender-based disparities are huge gaps which hinder poverty reduction and the development of the country for that matter. 50