The United Nations reproductive health agency (UNFPA) on Tuesday flagged an alarming escalation in sexual violence and a deteriorating humanitarian situation for women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), describing it as "one of the world's worst humanitarian crises."

Ms. Shoko Arakaki, the UNFPA Director of Humanitarian Affairs, detailed the distressing conditions during a briefing with journalists at the Geneva UN Office. Following her visits to Kinshasa and Goma, she reported that the ongoing conflict and lawlessness in the region have heightened the vulnerability of women and girls, leading to a significant rise in conflict-related sexual violence — a surge by a third compared to the previous year.

Arakaki shared heart-wrenching encounters, including the story of a 14-year-old girl recovering from multiple rapes. Despite her ordeal, the young survivor is holding onto her dream of returning to school after recovering from surgery at a UNFPA-supported medical center.

The UN official called on the international community and humanitarian partners to urgently scale up protection services and restore critical health care facilities, including reproductive and mental health services. She emphasized the necessity for increased safe humanitarian access to conflict zones and hard-to-reach areas and underscored the importance of prosecuting perpetrators to hold them accountable.

The situation is compounded by the hampering of essential health and psychosocial services in many affected areas, severely limiting the support available to survivors. Increased displacement and access barriers are exacerbating vulnerabilities across communities, undermining food security, maternal health care, and mental health support. Arakaki highlighted the pervasive incidents of sexual exploitation, abuse, and coercion, particularly in overcrowded displacement camps where protection and security measures are grossly inadequate.

Furthermore, these crises challenge the compatibility with international conventions, to which the Democratic Republic of Congo is a signatory. This includes the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which classifies sexual violence as a crime against humanity, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, recognizing the right to an adequate standard of living and the highest attainable standard of health.

The ongoing crisis in the DRC calls for a renewed and urgent global focus on the plight of its women and girls, necessitating immediate and robust international action to alleviate their suffering and ensure justice.