A/HRC/7/25 page 15 were signed on 29 November 2007 by the Speaker of the provincial assembly and the provincial chief inspector of the Congolese national police. The latter undertook to ensure that the men and women under his command would abide by and implement the declaration. B. Influence-peddling, abuse of authority, harassment, abuse of power and other forms of sexual violence in schools and universities directed against pupils and students 49. According to reliable sources, many teachers and professors, who have a legal and moral obligation to educate and care for their pupils and students, abuse their authority and award marks, promotion into the next grade or diplomas with honours in exchange for sexual favours. That practice, which is taking on alarming proportions, is the subject of growing criticism on the part of certain NGOs and the media, which refer to it as “sexually-transmitted assessments”. As a result, the image of the school and university system, supposedly a place for the transmission of knowledge, civic education and the spreading of moral values, has been seriously damaged. C. Child soldiers and street children 50. In spite of the commitments made by the parties to various conflicts, minors continue to be enlisted as combatants, in flagrant violation of international conventions and their optional protocols on protection of the rights of children. The reports of the MONUC child protection unit cite many cases of forced recruitment of minors, mostly schoolchildren in the province of North Kivu, in particular the Masisi and Rutshuru regions, in the last four months of 2008. Those mainly responsible are said to be the Congrès National pour la Defense du Peuple led by disgraced General Laurent Nkundu, and Mai-Mai groups. 51. The phenomenon of street children, or “shégués”, is a logical consequence of the unstable situation and economic decay in the country. When parents are unable to meet their children’s needs, many children choose to live in the streets. There is a growing number of such children, living in abject poverty, with no adult supervision. The consequences in the future could be serious, as these children are often recruited to carry out reprehensible acts. III. EXERCISE OF CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS 52. The exercise and enjoyment of civil and political rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remain a source of great concern. The recent, historic, election should have provided new impetus for change but to date there has been no concrete improvement in the situation of civil and political rights across the country. The post-election period was characterized by a certain degree of political intolerance, manifested in the violent repression of demonstrators and political opponents as well as the harassment, intimidation, physical abuse, arbitrary arrest and illegal detention of journalists, human rights defenders and opposition leaders. The following two examples illustrate that situation. 53. Ms. Marie-Thérèse Nlandu, a lawyer and former candidate in the most recent presidential election, was arrested along with nine others, on 21 November 2006 by the “Special Services” Police at the Kin-Mazière police station. They were all charged with organizing and participating in an insurrection, as well as illegal possession of weapons and war materials. The accused were subsequently acquitted by the Kinshasa military tribunal. Nevertheless, on 20 June 2007, 50 days