UNICEF has repeatedly called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and unhindered humanitarian access, highlighting that conflict-induced displacement and poverty are fueling violence against children across the country.
‘Hidden scars’
The report,The hidden scars of conflict and silence, documents cases in all provinces, underscoring that the crisis extends far beyond the active front lines. The highest numbers are recorded in the eastern provinces affected by the conflict (including North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri), where insecurity, displacement and poor protection services leave children extremely vulnerable.
Significant numbers are also reported in Kinshasa and the Kasai regions, where poverty, food insecurity and school dropout rates increase exposure to exploitation, early marriage and abuse.
National figures compiled by child protection and gender-based violence service providers show that more than 35,000 cases of sexual violence against children were recorded in the first nine months of 2025 alone. In 2024, almost 45,000 cases were documented (almost three times more than in 2022), representing nearly 40 percent of all reported cases of sexual violence in the country.
UNICEF warns that the true number of victims is likely much higher, as fear, stigma, insecurity and limited access to services prevent many survivors from reporting abuse.
Resilience must shape the response
The report centers survivor testimonies alongside data, highlighting that each statistic represents a child whose life has been profoundly altered by violence.
Survivors describe shame, isolation, and a fractured sense of self, while expressing their determination to regain dignity and hope. Their stories, compiled by social workers from several provinces, illustrate both the magnitude of the crisis and the resilience of those affected; resilience, according to UNICEF, must shape the response.
“Social workers describe mothers walking for hours to reach clinics with daughters who can no longer walk after being assaulted,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Families say fear of stigma and retaliation often prevents them from reporting abuse. Stories like these are repeated across provinces, exposing a deep-rooted crisis driven by insecurity, inequality and weak support systems.”
Adolescent girls represent the largest and fastest growing proportion of reported cases, although boys are also targets of sexual violence and remain significantly underrepresented due to stigma and underreporting. Children with disabilities face increased risks, as physical, social and communication barriers increase vulnerability and restrict access to care and justice.
children talk
The magnitude of the crisis is increasingly reflected in children’s own words.
“My role is not in armed conflict,” wrote a boy from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a message to world leaders through the Prove It Matters campaign, led by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.
As we mark the end of 2025, UN Special Representative Vanessa Frazier warned that children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other conflict settings faced extreme levels of abuse throughout the year.
He stressed that 2024 was already the worst year on record since the mandate was established almost 30 years ago, and warned that such damage must not be allowed to become the new normal. In its statement, it cited the Democratic Republic of the Congo, along with Gaza, Haiti, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan and Ukraine, as contexts where children continued to suffer “egregious levels of grave violations in 2025.”
‘We cannot change 2025’
“We cannot change the year 2025, but we can act and be determined to change the situation for children affected by armed conflict in 2026,” said Ms. Frazier.
He called on leaders to listen to children, respect international law, end violations, release children associated with armed groups and strengthen funding for child protection, justice and long-term recovery.
Funding cuts deepen risk
Although UNICEF and partners expanded assistance between 2022 and 2024 – reaching more than 24,200 children in the worst-affected provinces last year – insecurity and global funding cuts have forced many safe spaces, mobile clinics and community-based protection programs to scale back or close.
By mid-2025, only 23 percent of gender-based violence interventions were funded, down from 48 percent in 2022, putting hundreds of thousands of children at risk of losing essential services, including some 300,000 children in eastern conflict zones.
“A protected child is a secure future,” another conflict-affected child told world leaders through the Prove It Matters campaign.