Overview
- More than 35,000 cases of sexual violence against children were recorded in the first nine months of 2025, following nearly 45,000 cases in 2024, which was almost triple the 2022 total.
- UNICEF says cases are documented in every province, with the highest numbers in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri, and significant reports also in Kinshasa and Kasai.
- Adolescent girls account for the largest and fastest-growing share of survivors, while boys are under-represented due to stigma and children with disabilities face heightened risks and barriers to care and justice.
- UNICEF-assisted support for child survivors rose 143% between 2022 and 2024 to more than 24,200 children, yet by mid-2025 only 23% of gender-based-violence interventions were funded, threatening services for hundreds of thousands, including an estimated 300,000 children in eastern regions.
- UNICEF urges immediate humanitarian access, survivor-centred services and accountability for perpetrators, as UN envoy Vanessa Frazier warns of extreme violations in 2025 and presses for stronger protection in 2026.