Sexual violence against children 'endemic, systemic and worsening' in DRC, says UNICEF

Sexual violence against children is endemic, systemic, and worsening across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said on Tuesday.

Nationwide data compiled by protection and gender-based service providers indicates that, in the first nine months of 2025, there were more than 35,000 cases of sexual violence against children.

Last year, children were the victims of almost 40 percent of all reported incidents of sexual violence, the report shows, almost three times higher than in 2022.

Conflict is a major driver of the abuse but the UNICEF report documents cases in every province.

UNICEF works with the government and other partners to offer children clinical care, psychological support and case management.

In 2024, the agency says it reached more than 24,000 children in the most affected provinces.

But insecurity and global funding cuts could see those services reduced.

UNICEF says the cuts are putting hundreds of thousands of children at risk, including in the war-torn regions of eastern DRC, where they stand to lose access to life-saving support.