A/HRC/13/8 opposition parties, the protection of children and the rights of persons living with or affected by HIV/AIDS, and the High Council of the Judiciary. 8. As to the establishment of effective structures for the protection of human rights, the Democratic Republic of the Congo had honoured its undertaking, made at the end of the tenth ordinary session of the Human Rights Council, by establishing on 12 August 2009 the “Entité de Liaison des Droits de l’Homme” (Human Rights Liaison Unit), a mechanism comprising various stakeholders whose task was to study the underlying causes of human rights violations and propose appropriate solutions. Human rights consultative bodies were also planned at the provincial level. In addition, the bill on the creation of a national human rights commission in accordance with the Paris Principles was before Parliament. The Government was making efforts to ensure that the necessary resources were allocated to those mechanisms. 9. The Democratic Republic of the Congo had created a national agency to combat violence against women and girls, which was being made operational. Synergies at the provincial level were also very active in efforts to combat impunity for sexual violence. According to the delegation, there were no reliable global statistics on sexual violence. 10. The delegation said that the shortcomings in support for the victims of sexual violence were due in part to the fact that some victims did not report incidents and also to the scarcity of available resources. The two laws on sexual violence enacted in 2006 were already being applied, and several convictions had been handed down by both civil and military courts. 11. The delegation welcomed the creation of the National Fund for the Advancement of Women and the Protection of Children in October 2009, the first State fund specifically for women and children since independence. 12. As to the use of child soldiers and violence against children, the Democratic Republic of the Congo had a national policy to combat the recruitment of child soldiers, spearheaded by the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme implementation unit, and was committed to making those responsible for child recruitment, the sale of children, trafficking in children and any other form of exploitation of children answer for their actions in court. Various activities were being organized to help such children reintegrate. 13. The delegation said that combating impunity was a priority and was characterized by a zero tolerance policy. Disciplinary and criminal sanctions were imposed at various levels. The Democratic Republic of the Congo confirmed its firm intention to continue cooperating with the International Criminal Court. 14. With regard to the establishment of a transitional justice system for crimes committed between 1993 and 2003, the Democratic Republic of the Congo stated that it intended to make use of the outcome of the mapping exercise conducted by the United Nations. 15. With regard to human rights violations committed by the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), internal verification mechanisms within FARDC facilitated the identification of officers who violated human rights, and the imposition of disciplinary or judicial penalties. 16. As to the fight against corruption, the delegation said that penalties were imposed on all who were found guilty. In addition, the High Council of the Judiciary monitored judges’ ethical standards and could propose dismissal for those who failed to comply. 17. According to the delegation, human rights defenders were expected to work within the legal and regulatory framework that governed the life of the country and the 4 GE.10-10154