GNV News August 24, 2025

According to the annual report on conflict-related sexual violence released by the United Nations on August 21, 2025, incidents of rape, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, forced sterilization, forced marriage, and other forms of sexual violence in conflict-affected areas increased by 25% in 2024 compared with the previous year, with abuses committed primarily by armed groups or government forces as strategic tools of torture and terror, political repression, and gaining control over resources and territory. The report states that particularly high numbers were recorded in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Somalia, and South Sudan. While 92% of victims were women and girls, men and boys were not exempt. Victimization was also confirmed among people in vulnerable positions, including sexual minorities, ethnic minorities, and persons with disabilities.

In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the regions where harm is most severe, Amnesty International, an international NGO, has reported, based on numerous testimonies, that the Rwanda-backed M23 armed opposition group, the Congolese army (FARDC), and the pro-government militia Wazalendo supported by the FARDC have committed human rights abuses against civilians, including the gang rape of women, as reported. Furthermore, Human Rights Watch has indicated that, beyond sexual violence, there have been numerous reports of massacres and killings of civilians. These reports highlight how, under conditions of conflict, sexual violence and other forms of violence are widespread and target civilians.

Learn more about the conflict and armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo → “A tragedy the world does not know: Democratic Republic of the Congo”

Learn more about the background of instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo → “The scale of the problem is large, and reporting is scarce: Democratic Republic of the Congo”

Learn more about the reality of sexual violence → “One in eight girls under 18 worldwide has experienced sexual assault”

A woman participating in an event to promote women’s rights, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Photo: MONUSCO Photos / Wikimedia Commons［CC BY-SA 2.0］）