RÉPUBLIQUE DU CONGO

Abstract

According to the World Bank (WB), the Congolese population is 5.2 million. No recent census has been conducted on people with disabilities. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the most prevalent forms of disabilities include visual, motor disabilities (lower and upper limbs), visual and auditory disabilities. The Republic of Congo signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), as well as its Optional protocol on 30 March 2007. The CRDP and the Optional Protocol have been ratified on 14 February 2014. The Republic of Congo did not submit its country report which was supposed to be submitted on 2 October 2016. Through Art 31 the elders and persons with disabilities are entitled to protective measures in relation to their physical, moral or other needs, with a view to their full development under conditions laid down by law. The State has a duty to promote the presence of people with disabilities in national and local institutions and administrations. The Republic of Congo has an important piece of legislation that directly addresses disability, Law 009/92, of 22 April 1992 on the rights of people with disabilities. The policies that directly address persons with disabilities are: The National Social Action Policy Programme (2018-2022). Congo has the following programmes: The National Action Plan for Persons with Disabilities which aims to promote the socio-economic development of persons with disabilities, their education, a better detection of the causes of disabilities, social protection, professional training for people with disabilities. Other than ordinary courts or tribunals, the Republic of Congo does not have an official body which specifically addresses the violation of the rights of people with disabilities. They have had a National Human Rights Commission, since 2015. There are numerous organisations that represent and advocate for the rights and welfare of persons with disabilities in Congo, represented by the National Union of Disabled People of Congo which is an umbrella body of 10 important organisations. In Congo, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Humanitarian Action are in favour of persons with disabilities, with the Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities. Disabled people still encounter multiple levels of exclusion and discrimination. Most are yet to acquire their identity cards, and cannot access education. The Republic of Congo should equip itself with a reliable specific household census on persons with disabilities, taking into account women, children and elders with disabilities. It should increase the promotion of disability rights especially in the rural areas.