Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Article 14 - Law n°15/013 of August 1st, 2015)

The DRC Constitution asserts the country’s commitment to gender equality under the law. The preamble references the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and commitment to conventions pertaining to the rights of women, particularly toward gender equality in domestic and international institutions. Article 14 gives legal effect to the commitment asserted in the preamble, stipulating that public authorities shall ensure elimination of discrimination against women and promote women’s rights. More specifically, Article 14 requires authorities to take appropriate measures to ensure participation of women in the development of the nation and to take steps to combat all forms of violence against women in their public and private lives, and guarantees implementation of gender equality and fair representation at national, provincial and local government institutions. The Law sets forth the application procedures of these rights. Subsequently, Law n°15/013 of August 1^st, 2015 was passed to establish specific procedures to implement Article 14 (link to full Constitution, pdf to Article 14 implementation law).