The United Nations (UN) has reported that women and girls are at risk in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following an increase in cases of sexual violence among displaced persons.
Development Diaries reports that eight million people are in need of assistance, while sexual violence has become endemic, according to United Nations data.
Figures from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) show that the DRC has the largest population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Africa, numbering nearly 6.2 million people as of February 2023, and the highest number of food-insecure people worldwide.
In June, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported that an estimated 6.1 million people are currently internally displaced in DRC, which represents a 17 percent increase from October 2022.
The UN, from its recent assessment of the situation, reported that in the past 18 months, the situation in eastern Congo has deteriorated to an alarming extent.
It revealed that eight million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces, where scores of armed groups terrorise villages, with more than 26 million Congolese across the country needing food assistance.
On reports of increased sexual violence, UN data reveals that in the first six months of 2023 alone, more than 35,000 survivors have sought access to services for gender-based violence (GBV) across the three provinces alone.
Development Diaries calls on donors to increase financing for response to GBV in emergencies to aid prevention measures and offer psychosocial and medical support to victims.
Photo source: OCHA
