Democratic Republic of Congo

Demographics

Estimated Total Population:

84 million

World Bank, 2018

Estimated SGM Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated Total SGM Adult Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated % of SGM Adults (18+):

N/A

N/A

While consensual same-sex acts are technically legal in the DRC, homophobia is deeply ingrained into the country’s culture. Many SGMs are arrested for violating Article 176 of the DRC’s legal code, which prohibits activities against public decency (ILGA World Report, 2019). Once arrested, many SGMs are subject to inhumane conditions and even rape (MOPREDS, et al). There have been several unsuccessful attempts to criminalize consensual same-sex acts in recent years (MOPREDS, et al). Furthermore, those dedicated to helping the LGBT community find it difficult to meet--organizations must officially register with the government, which denies proposals that reference the LGBT population (ILGA World Report, 2019). There are many cases of “corrective rape” of homosexual women by heterosexual men in the DRC (MOPREDS, et al).

DRC's Laws and Policies from ILGA World Report (2019)

RECOGNITION
Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
No
Civil Unions
No
Joint Adoption
No
Second Parent Adoption
No
PROTECTION
Employment Nondiscrimination Laws
No
Broad Protections
No
Criminalization of Violence
No
Ban of Conversion Therapy
No
CRIMINALIZATION
Consensual Same-Sex Acts are Legal?
Yes
Gender
Does Not Apply
Max Penalty (Yrs in Prison)
Does Not Apply

Selected Published Studies, Reports, and Other Documents

Autesserre, S. (2012). Dangerous Tales: Dominant Narratives on the Congo and Their Unintended Consequences.African Affairs, 111(443), 202-222. www.jstor.org/stable/41494485

Duroch, F., McRae, M., and Grais, R. (2011). Description and Consequences of Sexual Violence in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. BMC International Health and Human Rights. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-698X/11/5

MOPREDS, et al. (October 2017). Human Rights Violations Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) People in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/COD/INT_CCPR_CSS_COD_29078_E.pdf

The World Bank. (2018). Congo, Dem. Rep. Data. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=CD