combat human rights violations is the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) established in 2014 to monitor the observance of human rights, expose all violations and to make recommendations. 335. Since 2004, the Government, with the support of the United Nations, has been putting in place several programmes, particularly the National Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Programme (PNDDR) per Decree No. 04/092 of 16 October, 2004 which aims at neutralizing the existence of armed groups throughout the Congolese national territory and considerably improving the security situation in the east of the country. In 2008, the Eastern DRC Stabilization and Reconstruction Programme (STAREC) was introduced with the overall objective of “stabilizing the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo by improving the security environment and restoring the authority of the State in regions hitherto controlled by armed groups and facilitating the return” and reintegration of displaced persons and refugees. Then comes the Security Sector Reform (RSS), an important programme whose strategic objective is “the strengthening of the defence capacity of the national territory as well as the safety of persons and their assets.” Still in 2008, the international support strategy for the security and stability of the east of the DRC was developed as an integrated pragmatic framework (2009-2012) for the Democratic Republic of Congo. Objectives 1, 4 and 5 of this plan aim at improving security, i.e. creating an environment to protect the civilian populations by strengthening the security forces through an improvement in their discipline and control, support for the demobilization and reintegration of armed groups, facilitation of the return as well as the reintegration and rehabilitation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, meeting of the priority social needs of returnees, confronting the main sources of the conflicts, kick-starting the economy and combatting sexual violence. 336. In 2009, the Government, with the support of the United Nations agencies, produced the National Strategy to Combat Sexual Violence, a very important strategy which determines activities carried out as part of the fight against sexual violence as well as the various stakeholders involved. It should be noted that this strategy enabled the various participants in the fight against sexual violence to offer care to and assist survivors of sexual violence in the psychological, medical, legal and socio-economic spheres. In addition, the United Nations, in collaboration with the national organizations, introduced the 2012-2013 Humanitarian Plan of Action. Among others, this objective sought to enhance the protection of the civilian population in areas affected by the crises. Within the FARDC, the programme for the reduction of the extent of sexual violence in conflict zones (North-Kivu, South-Kivu and Orientale Province) was adopted and executed. 337. Several sensitization and educational activities have been initiated for the population. These particularly include: (i)”Break the Silence” campaign for the fight against sexual violence carried out by the Office of the Special Adviser to the Head of State on the fight against sexual violence and the recruitment of children into armed groups; (ii) deployment from 5 to 24 January, 2013 to North and South Kivu by the Military Civic Education, Patriotism and Social Action Department of units to raise awareness among those units engaged in operations against the M23 on the rules of humanitarian law, particularly as it relates to sexual violence, with the conviction of more than 150 perpetrators of rape by the Military Tribunal, including the cases of an army brigadier-general and a chief superintendent of police which led to the outright dismissal of the latter; (iii) formulation of key messages on United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325, 1820, 1888 and 1889 and their popularization within the units of the FARDC, and (iv) inclusion of the notions of Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law, Gender and Child Protection Rights in the training manuals of the FARDC. 338. Mention can also be made of the establishment within the FARDC of a joint recruitment commission made up of 20 men and 30 women intended to consider the gender dimension so as to encourage and to facilitate the recruitment of girls into the armed forces, establishment by the Office of the Special Adviser of the Head of State in charge of the fight against sexual violence and the recruitment of children into armed groups of a hotline at the Call Centre for victims of sexual violence and cases of the abuse or recruitment of children by armed groups. 339. In addition to the Courts and Tribunals sited throughout the Republic, note should be taken of the construction and rehabilitation of about twenty buildings to house the Courts and Tribunals as well as the Offices of the special units of the police in charge of the fight against sexual violence in the towns of Goma, Bukavu, Kindu, Bandundu and Bunia and the publication of a directive by the Public Prosecutor instructing magistrates to expedite action on sexual violence cases and to deny bail to alleged perpetrators in custody. 340. Among some of the challenges confronting this fight are the lack of means of communication which leads to difficulties in reaching displaced persons, rescue of sexually enslaved women and child soldiers taken hostage by armed groups, budgetary constraints to the coverage of the needs of displaced populations and refugees as well as the welfare of rape survivors, presence of a few armed groups in the east and difficulties in prosecuting members of armed 66