Research & Advocacy Human Rights abuses

General

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH#S WORK IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO contributes by research and advocacy to the following goals: 1. Building the capacity of the Congo Advocacy Coalition (CAC) and local civil society groups to defend human rights; 2. Reduceattacks oncivilians by Congolese security forces and various armed groups and increase accountability; 3. Addressing the interrelated issues of land conflicts, security sector failures, and weak rule of law; 4. Combatting impunity for entrenched human rights abuses, including ethnic massacres, sexual violence, and politically motivated attacks by Congo#s often abusive security forces; 5. Preventing attacks on education through the use of schools in conflict and forced recruitment of students; Given the need to be responsive to often-rapid developments on the ground, the plans are subject to change according to the situation in Congo. The main results for attention of HRW are : capacity-building with local groups, documentation of the relationship of land to human rights abuse, pushing for the arrest of Bosco Ntaganda, Joseph KONI, Sylvestre Mudachumura and other warlords for some of the worst human rights violations, the International Brigade, urging the Congolese army to enforce its #zero-tolerance policy#. Documenting and denouncing politically motivated attacks and arbitrary arrests of opposition members, journalists, and human rights activists by Congolese security forces, especially in Kinshasa and other western provinces, and calling for arrests and prosecutions of those responsible.