Up to 45% of the nearly 10,000 sexual violence cases reported in the DRC conflict zone in January and February were related to children, according to UNICEF.
The UN has condemned widespread rape and sexual violence against children in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reported in the first two months of this year amid rising tensions between M23 armed groups and government forces.
James Elder, a UNICEF spokesman for the United Nations Children’s Agency, warned on Friday that DRC’s sexual violence against children “has never been more common.”
“Early reports show that children reported between 35 and 45% of the approximately 10,000 cases of rape and sexual violence.
“In short, based on the original data… at the most intense stage of this year’s conflict in the Eastern DRC, children were raped every 30 minutes,” he explained.
After the fallout of Rwanda’s Genocide in 1994, the DRC has been plagued by violence as rebels and government forces fought for control.
However, after the M23 fighter jets rapidly advanced, the conflict escalated in January, seizing the eastern cities of Goma and Bukabu in February.
At least 3,000 people were killed, and many more were driven out of the territory of the East, prompting the fear of a wider regional war.
Additionally, the UN and Western governments have accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 and providing weapons to the group, but Kigali denied it.
“Systemic Crisis”
The elder warned that the recent increase in violence against children was a “systemic crisis” rather than an incident isolated due to conflict.
“It’s a weapon of war, a deliberate tactic of fear, and it destroys families and communities,” he said.
He said this “should drive us to our core. Certainly, it should force urgent and collective action.”
UN officials called for more prevention efforts and “survivor-centric services” that allow for safe and accessible ways to “report abuse without fear.”
“Survivors must see the world standing with them, not turning their backs. The perpetrators must face justice,” he urged.
Source link
