Millions of children at risk as violence escalates in DR Congo

By Kielce Gussie

Violence continues to escalate in the Democratic Republic of Congo and, in particular, the eastern region has reached levels unseen in 3 decades. Millions of children are at risk as the conflict has led to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

Every 30 minutes…

Since January, more than 1 million people – about 400,000 children – have been displaced due to the violence in the Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu regions. This number adds to the 5 million who had already been forced to flee their home and live in overcrowded displacement camps.

Yet, the most horrific consequence of this conflict is the intensifying violence against women and children. In the first quarter of 2025, there has been a 100% increase in verified violations compared to the same period in 2024. These have taken the form of random attacks, large-scale recruitment and use of children, mass abductions, and widespread sexual violence.

Women gather to wash clothes at a communal washing point in the Kiziba Refugee Camp in Karongi   (AFP or licensors)

Some of UNICEF’s child protection partners reported that children accounted for 40% of the cases of rape and sexual violence last January and February. The UN organization estimated that a child was raped every 30 minutes during the most intense moments of this year’s conflict. However, it stressed that these numbers represent reported cases only and the actual figures are likely much higher.

Since the beginning of the year, over 2,500 schools and learning spaces in North and South Kivu—including displacement camps—have been forced to close, increasing the risk for children.

Ongoing support for children in need

UNICEF provides aid to children and families in eastern DRC.  For example, in Goma alone, the organization has been providing clean water and sanitation services to some 700,000 people daily. Together with partner organizations, the UN agency also provides children with mental health and psychosocial support services for survivors of sexual violence.

Additionally, UNICEF helps register and reconnect unaccompanied and separated children with their families.

The Executive Director emphasized that a failure to urgently respond to the needs of children in the DRC means condemning “a generation of children to fear, to trauma, and to a future defined by violence. But if we stand together for peace, accountability, and protection, we offer these children something else: Hope.”