Rape and Silence in Eastern Congo: UN Warns Children at Risk

France24

In eastern Congo, something terrible is happening—and it’s not making enough noise. Over just two months, thousands of children have been raped and sexually abused. The UN’s children’s agency, UNICEF, says the number keeps rising. And worse, there’s not enough money to help those affected or to protect others from facing the same horror.

This part of Congo has been at war for years. Armed groups fight over land, power, and minerals. But in the middle of all this, it’s children—some as young as toddlers—who are suffering the most. They are not just caught in the crossfire; they’re being targeted. Rape is being used as a weapon. And in many cases, it happens with no one to stop it.

UNICEF says hundreds of thousands of children are left without support. Many have nowhere safe to go, no counsellors to talk to, and no help to begin healing. Some are left to deal with their pain alone, while the world stays quiet.

This silence is part of the problem.

When people look away, when money doesn’t come, when justice is absent, the suffering grows. And the longer it goes on, the harder it is to fix. These are not just numbers in a report. These are real children—hurt, afraid, and often forgotten.

Eastern Congo has been through enough. So have its children. If nothing is done, this will keep happening. The world can’t claim it didn’t know.