A new report lays bare an entrenched epidemic of sexual violence against boys, girls, and disabled children in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 35,000 cases recorded in just nine months. 

The scale of abuse has been described as endemic, systemic, and rapidly worsening, according to a UNICEF report released today.

It warns that sexual violence against children is no longer confined to front lines or remote war zones but is being documented in communities across every province of the vast central African nation.

While years of armed conflict remain a powerful driver, the data show the crisis has deepened sharply since 2022, becoming a daily reality for tens of thousands of children.

Nationwide figures compiled from protection and gender-based violence service providers reveal that more than 35,000 cases of sexual violence against children were recorded in the first nine months of 2025 alone.

The year before, nearly 45,000 cases were documented, accounting for almost 40 per cent of all reported sexual violence nationwide, a figure three times higher than in 2022. 

UNICEF warns these numbers likely represent only a fraction of the true toll, as fear, stigma, insecurity and the collapse of basic services prevent countless survivors from ever coming forward. 

Adolescent girls make up the largest and fastest-growing group of survivors nationwide, but boys are also subjected to sexual violence, even though they remain significantly under-represented in reported cases due to shame and social taboos.

Children with disabilities face some of the gravest risks of all, with physical, social and communication barriers both increasing their vulnerability to abuse and blocking their access to care, justice and protection.   

Sephora, an 18-year-old, was raped by armed men as she attempted to escape after violence broke out in her village. She later married and started a family 

Behind the statistics are harrowing stories of children left physically broken and families pushed to the brink. 

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said: 'Case workers describe mothers walking for hours to reach clinics with daughters who can no longer walk after being assaulted. 

'Families say that fear of stigma and retaliation often keeps them from reporting the abuse. 

'Stories like these are repeated across provinces, exposing an entrenched crisis driven by insecurity, inequality, and weak support systems.' 

In the report, Sephora, an 18-year-old, describes how she was raped by armed men after violence broke out in her village. 

She said: 'While we were escaping with other girls from school, we crossed paths with bandits in the forest, and they raped us. They left us there, and we had no other choice but to keep walking. We could barely move because of the pain.'