A/HRC/13/64 less than 20 US cents a day).11 In the provinces where the rich mineral resources are extracted, security problems and human rights violations linked to resource extraction have continued to be reported. Clashes between rebel groups and government forces to gain control over mining sites frequently occur. In August 2009, FDLR and Mai Mai Shikito attacked a mine under the protection of government forces in Omata, Walikale territory, North Kivu Province, resulting in looting and the death and injury of several civilians. Moreover, government security forces and irregular armed forces continue to commit acts of sexual violence and to subject artisanal miners and other civilians living in the area to forced labour, illegal taxation and extortion. 27. With regard to the right to education, despite the fact that article 43 of the Constitution requires free public and compulsory primary education, parents are expected to contribute to teachers’ salaries due to lack of sufficient government funding. Access to food and health care is also far from meeting minimal standards. The State health-care system is barely functional, and the Government is unable to react to treatable illnesses that plague the population. Due to the existence of user fees, the health-care system is not accessible to the poorest in society. As a result, maternal and infant mortality rates are among the highest in the world. In the east of the country, the widespread looting of health clinics and the arbitrary obstruction of humanitarian convoys intended to replenish medical supplies have aggravated the situation; moreover, a rapid increase in medical capacity is required as many Congolese medical workers have been forced to flee. High rates of malnutrition among women, children and internally displaced persons, have made them even more vulnerable to infectious diseases. Of particularly grave concern is the plight of displaced persons because of the magnitude of the problem. These people, having lost their homes, live in absolute poverty without access to sufficient food, drinking water, health care or education for their children. Actions taken by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office 28. UNJHRO is increasingly focusing on the link between the illegal exploitation of natural resources and the paucity of government revenue allocated to the realization of economic and social rights. It is advocating for the Government to increase its efforts to ensure the enjoyment of economic and social rights by its citizens. In addition, UNJHRO carries out investigative missions to increase its understanding of the challenges to regulation and policy relating to the exploitation of natural resources. It also monitors and assesses the progress made in relation to social and economic rights throughout the country. UNJHRO is undertaking efforts to increase stakeholder knowledge of article 2 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which could be used as a tool to combat the illegal exploitation of natural resources, with the goal of progressively realizing all human rights. Obstacles to the implementation of existing recommendations 29. Many of the government ministries with responsibilities relating to supervision of and revenue collection from the natural resources sector are understaffed, underfunded, and lack the technical capacity to perform their functions. This in turn leads to corruption. The Government collects far less in taxes and fees than it should from the mining sector due to corrupt practices at every level. For those actors, impunity prevails because most of the abuses occur with the consent or under orders of superior officers. These officers interfere in the legal apparatus to block the investigation and prosecution of cases of illegal exploitation, corruption and other crimes relating to the natural resources sector. 11 GE.10-10563 http://eiti.org/DRCongo, visited on 23 September 2009. 11