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Democratic Republic of Congo

 

The Democratic Republic of Congo has been affected by long years of wars which are proving to be the bloodiest in the history of the Great Lakes Region. These conflicts involved most of the countries in this Region. They also constitute one of the causes of the destabilization of the Region, where women and children have paid the heaviest price for this situation which has caused the death of millions of people, the massive rape of women used as weapons of war. and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Congolese and refugees.

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A Congolese refugee interviewed on the situation in her Country, especially on education. November 2023

Testimonies of four Congolese refugees

Barriers to girls' education
00:00 / 01:59
Early marriage: violation of girls' rights
00:00 / 01:58
Early marriage
00:00 / 02:55
children right to education
00:00 / 03:16

Testimonies collected by UNETCHAC researchers on the field, 2023

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Images of the situation in the displaced camps after the M23 war in North Kivu-East of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bulengo camp is an isolated and barren site for internally displaced people where makeshift tents sit atop dark volcanic rock, a few kilometers from the town of Goma. 

These displaced persons fled the clashes between the regular armed forces and the M23. 

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Ph. by Idriss Mbilizi Kitulo, 2023

INSTITUTIONAL DATA

Democratic Republic of Congo – Between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2022

Children and armed conflict – Democratic Republic of Congo - Report of the Secretary General/S/2022/745

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  • The country task force verified 7,616 grave violations against 6,073 children (4,240 boys; 1,833 girls) by 78 parties to the conflict during the reporting period;

  • A total of 3,901 children (3,377 boys; 524 girls) were verified as recruited and used during the reporting period. Of these, 2,056 children (1,808 boys; 248 girls) were recruited prior to 1 April 2020 but continued to be used until their separation during the reporting period. The remaining 1,845 children (1,569 boys; 276 girls) were newly recruited and separated during the period under review;

  • The country task force verified the killing (578) and maiming (351) of 929 children (552 boys; 377 girls);

  • The country task force verified rape and other forms of sexual violence against 944 children (11 boys; 933 girls) between the ages of 2 and 17;

  • The country task force verified 281 attacks on schools (185) and on hospitals (96), including on protected persons in relation to schools and/or hospitals;

  • The country task force verified the abduction of 1,548 children (1,014 boys; 534 girls) with 587 violations in the last three quarters of 2020, 838 in 2021 and 123 in the first quarter of 2022;

  • The country task force verified 13 incidents of denial of humanitarian access to children.

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Prof. Radoslaw Malinowski, Regional Team Leader of the UNETCHAC
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