A disturbing spike in forced and early marriages is unfolding across Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as violence and displacement driven by armed conflict push girls into devastating circumstances.
According to new data from ActionAid, more than 58 cases of forced and child marriage were recorded in just the first four months of 2025, already 86% of the total cases reported throughout all of 2024.
The situation is particularly dire in regions like North and South Kivu, where instability and displacement have left families desperate, and girls especially vulnerable.
“These girls are being robbed of their futures,” said a member of ActionAid’s protection team in North Kivu.
According to a source who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity, many girls are married off in a bid for security or because their families see no other way to survive.
Civil society and humanitarian organisations in the war torn region are sounding the alarm over the deepening crisis, which has seen a staggering rise in sexual violence alongside the increase in early and forced marriages.
In March alone, ActionAid teams documented 247 cases of sexual violence, nearly eight times the number reported in February.
Between March and April, 381 cases were reported across Fizi, Minembwe, and Salamabila—five times higher than January and February combined.
“This is a horrifying escalation,” said Saani Yakuba, ActionAid DRC Country Director, in a statement.
“In just two months, we’ve seen nearly half the number of cases reported throughout all of 2024. And we know this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Yakuba stressed that the true scale of the crisis is likely far greater, as fear, trauma, and stigma prevent many survivors from coming forward to speak out or report the injustices mated on them.
Reports indicate that approximately 2.7 million people have been forced from their homes in North Kivu alone, many crowding into informal camps near Goma.
But even these fragile refuges are under threat: armed groups have allegedly dismantled camps, forcing women and girls back into dangerous areas where the risk of rape, forced marriage, and abuse is even higher.
Yakuba stressed that despite two temporary ceasefire agreements, the violence has not stopped. He stressed that women and girls continue to be used as weapons of war and have suffered as collateral damage in “this conflict for far too long.”
ActionAid and partner organisations are providing emergency assistance, including mental health support, cash aid, and shelter but say much more is needed.
While the DRC government and the M23 group announced a commitment last month to work toward a permanent ceasefire, hopes remain fragile.
Since 2021, multiple ceasefire attempts have collapsed, as the warring factions have consistently failed to respect their agreements.
Yakuba called on the international community to act urgently to enforce a lasting ceasefire, protect civilians, and ensure the withdrawal of armed groups from conflict zones such as Kashebere and Goma.
He noted that as violence intensifies, the lives and futures of thousands of women and girls hang in the balance.
Sexual violence among children
According to a report from the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), particularly its eastern regions, has been embroiled in a prolonged and intricate humanitarian crisis for over two decades.
This crisis is driven by ethnic tensions, the lack of accountability due to a fragile state, and the lucrative exploitation of natural resources through theft and illegal activities.
Armed groups have proliferated, committing extreme human rights abuses.
An April 2014 report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights highlighted that sexual violence remains a “serious and widespread issue,” due to its scale, systematic nature, and the large number of victims involved.
Human Rights Watch describes “horrific levels of rape” and other forms of sexual violence used by all armed groups involved in the long-standing conflict destabilizing the country.
The DRC’s armed forces (FARDC) are purportedly among the main perpetrators.
Between 2010 and 2013, half of the sexual violence cases reported to the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in the DRC were attributed to the army and other state agents.
Victims, mostly women (73%) and children (25%), often suffer rapes accompanied by other atrocities, including mutilation, forced participation of family members in rapes, gang rape, and sexual slavery. The majority of these rapes go unreported, largely due to fear of social stigma.
UNICEF has reported that thousands of children have been victims of rape and sexual violence.
In a press briefing, the organisation’s spokesperson James Elder stated that the rate of sexual violence against children in the DRC has reached unprecedented levels.
“Reports from child protection agencies show that children make up between 35% and 45% of the nearly 10,000 cases of rape and sexual violence reported in just January and February of 2025,” he said.
“This means that during the most intense phase of this year’s conflict in eastern DRC, a child was raped every half hour,” he added
Elder emphasized that survivors, some as young as toddlers, were being targeted. He described sexual violence as a “weapon of war” and a deliberate tactic of terror that destroys families and communities.
He said, the hidden nature of these abuses, buried under layers of fear, stigma, and insecurity, should serve as a call for urgent action.
He stressed the need for enhanced prevention efforts, survivor-centered services, and accessible ways for survivors to report abuse without fear.
He noted that perpetrators must face justice and that the international community must stand with the survivors, not turn away.
He also highlighted that funding is crucial to these efforts, pointing out that the global funding crisis has severely impacted the DRC’s children.
He cited that in one hospital he visited recently; 127 survivors of rape had no access to Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) kits due to rapid funding cuts.
Elder shared the painful story of a 13-year-old girl who was raped, became pregnant, and required a caesarean section due to her small frame.
He warned that without adequate funding, UNICEF projects that 250,000 children in the DRC will miss also out on critical services for gender-based violence and protection in conflict zones.
Additionally, he added that without sufficient funds, 100,000 children may miss measles vaccinations in 2026, nearly two million children won’t be screened for malnutrition, and almost half a million will lack access to clean, safe water.
He stressed that these statistics are not just numbers, they represent real children, vulnerable and struggling to survive.
“The cost of inaction isn’t abstract. It’s measured in preventable suffering and lost futures,” he concluded.
