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Eastern DRC Faces Unprecedented Surge in Child Sexual Violence During Conflict

UNICEF warns that a child is raped every half hour as funding gaps threaten critical protection services for 250,000 vulnerable children.

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FILE - Women and children eat Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025 in a Goma, eastern Congo school where they found shelter after their soldier husbands and fathers were sent to Rumangabo for mixing and integration into the M23 rebel forces. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)
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Overview

  • Nearly 10,000 cases of rape and sexual violence were reported in eastern DRC in January and February 2025, with children accounting for 35-45% of victims.
  • UNICEF reports that sexual violence is being used systematically as a weapon of war and a deliberate tactic of terror in the region.
  • The M23 rebel group’s rapid offensive since January has resulted in over 3,000 deaths, mass displacement, and heightened humanitarian needs.
  • UNICEF warns of critical funding gaps that could deprive 250,000 children of essential gender-based violence and conflict protection services within 12 weeks.
  • International scrutiny grows over allegations that Rwanda is supporting the M23 rebels, a claim Kigali denies, as peace talks occur in Qatar.