Women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have not attained a position of full equality with men, with their struggle continuing to this day.

[4] In July 2007, the International Committee of the Red Cross expressed concern about the situation in eastern DRC.

"Armed groups attack local communities, loot, rape, kidnap women and children and make them work as sexual slaves," Ertürk said.

[7] In December 2008 GuardianFilms posted a film on the Guardian newspaper website profiling a project to record the testimony of over 400 women and girls who had been abused by marauding militia.

[9] FGM is now illegal: the law imposes a penalty of two to five years of prison and a fine of 200,000 Congolese francs on any person who violates the "physical or functional integrity" of the genital organs.

[12] Additionally, a woman can only use contraceptives with the permission of her husband, rendering her unable to prevent herself from contracting AIDS from him.

[18][22][23] However, child marriages have consequences, as married girls experience worse health outcomes, lower levels of education, higher rates of violence, and psychological impacts.

Prostitutes working in bars and nightclubs receive between $10 and $20,[30] and are known as "Londoners" as they dress like British girls on a Saturday night out.

A married woman must have her husband's permission to open a bank account, accept a job, obtain a commercial license, or rent or sell real estate.

Adapting to this situation, urban women have exploited commercial opportunities in the informal economy, outside of men's control.

Saddled with the bulk of agricultural work, firewood gathering, water hauling, and child care, they have generally seen an increase in their labor burdens as the economy has deteriorated.

The state promoted expansion of cash crop hectarage for export, particularly of coffee and quinine, has reduced the amount and quality of land available for peasant household food-crop production.

But a sympathetic local Catholic church, which provided a forum for meetings and assistance in letter writing, was helpful, as was the ethnic homogeneity of the group.

Although they could not nominate a woman for election to the local council, they did succeed in voting for males friendly to their position.

[37] A 2006 report by the African Association for the Defence of Human Rights prepared for that committee provides a broad overview of issues confronting women in the DRC in law and in daily life.

[38] In 2015, diaspora figures such as Emmanuel Weyi began to comment on the plight affecting women, and the need to make their progress a key issue in the approaching democratic election (which didn't take place).

[39] The ongoing cycle of violence in Congo killed more people than any other conflict since World War II and caused many to flee their homes and reside in displacement camps.

Some women activists who are also affected by the war in the country stepped into a high-risk role of appealing to a group of military men in an army post.

The activist action is considered an inspiring approach to help improve relationships between soldiers and civilians- to reduce vulnerability and tensions in the camp areas.

These women were considered brave for presenting their security cases to the very same military groups that are accused by the UN as alleged perpetrators.