Last March, the Human Rights Council in Geneva hosted a panel on sexual viole...

Last March, the Human Rights Council in Geneva hosted a panel on sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which again brought to our attention the massive character of violence against women in that context. Armed conflicts and the weakness of State institutions, especially the judiciary and the security forces, are the primary destabilizing factors. The high incidence of sexual violence, especially rape, is a source of grave concern, all the more so because systematic impunity creates a context that encourages such violations.