Secretary Kinshasa, March 11th, 2026 (CPA).- The Prime Minister has demanded sanctions against the perpetrators of sexual violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, during a meeting in New York, USA, with a Special Representative of the UN General Secretary, according to a statement consulted on Wednesday by CPA. « It is utterly unacceptable that we should accept, while we are taking a stand to combat these acts of violence, that countries which commit these acts of violence against women should occupy decision-making positions in certain United Nations bodies (…) It is important that justice works, it is important that sanctions are imposed, it is important that women who suffer this violence have access to justice, » has declared Prime Minister Judith Suminwa.
For the Congolese Head of Government, it is time that the international community honours its commitments by applying all sanctions to put an end to these atrocities and that the perpetrators of these heinous acts are held accountable. ‘In our country, we have begun this process, notably with FONAREV (the National Fund for Victim Reparations), but the countries or the armed groups that commit these abuses must also be punished,’ has insisted the Prime Minister during her exchange with Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the UN General Secretary on Sexual Violence committed during conflict period.
For this International Women’s Day (IWD 2026), the Head of the Central Executive of DRC has furthermore announced that discussions are also focusing on the possibility of combating all forms of violence against women and gender-based violence, in order to provide an integrated and coherent response to this fight. ‘All these countries must be able to align themselves and be consistent with the positions we take and the decisions that are acted upon. Of course, we eagerly await them. We continue to solicit them every time we are in contact with our partners,’ she has said. She has also talked about her country’s commitment in defending the rights and the advancement of women and girls set out in the fundamental law, as well as the victories achieved in the political and professional spheres.
« Our Constitution, in Article 14, refers to parity, but this parity is a process. We also have the Family Code, which has been amended: women no longer need marital authorisation to work. With the arrival of President Felix Tshisekedi, we have seen the appointment of a female Prime Minister, and the proportion of women in government has increased. We were at 21% in 2021; today we are at 32%. This is a victory, » has specified Judith Suminwa. On Tuesday morning, the Congolese Head of Government had taken part in a lunch hosted by the President of the Philippines.
In fact, the Philippine State wants to count on the support of DRC government for its upcoming candidacy as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. During this meeting, Prime Minister Suminwa has also mentioned the issues related to the protection of women and children in conflict zones. DRC is determined to make its voice heard on the issue of violence against women so that justice is done for victims and they can rebuild their lives through this process of reparation. In the second pillar of the Action Programme, the Suminwa government places emphasis on ‘the transitional justice mechanisms, including the judicial prosecution against the authors of the most serious crimes’.