In the Democratic Republic of Congo, children and adolescents are afraid of victims of sexual violence. Unicef reports unimaginable abuse, including toddlers. Due to the constant fighting and the reduction of humanitarian aid, many victims can no longer be taken care of sufficiently.
The UN Kinderhilfswerk UNICEF condemns the shocking violence against children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to spokesperson for Unicef James Elder from Goma in the east of the country, even small children between the ages of kindergarten and disciples are raped. “During the most violent fighting, a child or a young victim of sexual violence became every half hour,” he said. In January and February alone, 10,000 cases of rape and other sexual violence were reported, Elder reported. Up to 45 percent of the cases affect minors.
Hundreds of deaths in conquering gomas
Since the beginning of the year, the M23 rebel group has moved on with the support of Rwanda and has conquered the provincial capital Goma. More than 230,000 people have fled for the fighting.
A 13-year-old girl became pregnant after rape and had to endure a caesarean section because her body was too small for a normal birth. “I am a child, I don’t know how to be a mother,” she said in the hospital.
The drastic reduction of humanitarian aid has dramatic consequences: many victims of sexual violence can no longer be treated sufficiently, for example to prevent possible HIV infection. “These girls and women suffer from unimaginable pain and do not even receive the necessary medical care,” the Elder complains.
Source: Krone
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