A/HRC/10/59 page 22 number of minority candidates being elected to office, which has bred further resentment. Ensuring the adequate political representation of minority groups in the democratically constituted institutions at the national, provincial and local level will help to stifle political manipulation attempts by armed groups. 5. Lack of equality between men and women 82. Civilians are increasingly among the perpetrators of rape, which indicates a normalization of the war-related violence. This intensifies existing inequalities and oppression of women in society. Regrettably there is a tendency on the part of some to perceive sexual violence as an exclusively war related phenomenon with little or no regard to the serious inequality between men and women in the DRC. 83. Women face discrimination and violence in places of work and education. Girls are often denied access to education, as families privilege boys’ attendance to school. Sexual coercion of women and girls, committed by supervisors, professors and teachers, is a long-standing phenomenon that existed before the armed conflicts. 84. Gender inequality and the oppression of women are not only deeply rooted in society, but they continue to be officially sanctioned through discriminatory laws. The Family Code recognizes equality between the spouses (art. 330), but effectively renders a married woman a minor under the guardianship of her husband. Article 444 stipulates that the wife must obey her husband; article 448 requires a woman to obtain her husband’s authorization to effect any legal act for which she must present herself in person. It is encouraging that the Minister of Gender has drawn up a law to reform the Family Code. It is also positive that article 14 of the Constitution stipulates that women have a right to equitable representation in national, provincial and local institutions and mandates the State to guarantee this. However, the process to draft a gender parity law to implement the Constitution is still ongoing and women remain grossly underrepresented in the newly established democratic institutions as well as within law enforcement, armed forces and justice system. 85. The seven thematic special procedures are convinced that if the problem of sexual violence in conflict is addressed in isolation of the wider nexus of gender-based discrimination, the very serious levels of violence endured by women in “peace” will be grossly neglected and the war on women reinforced. As noted by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, without fundamentally altering gender relations and supporting women’s empowerment, high levels of rape will persist, even if stability, the rule of law and democratic, civilian control over the armed forces are established. III. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 86. In line with its international human rights commitment, the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has the obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of everybody living in the DRC. This implies duties to refrain from certain acts, but the Government has, as the Council stressed in resolution S-8/1, paragraph 6, also “the primary responsibility to make every effort to strengthen the protection of the civilian population and to investigate and bring to justice perpetrators of violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law.” More generally, the Congolese authorities