from JEAN KASSONGO in Kinshasa, DRC
DRC Bureau
KINSHASA, (CAJ News) – GENDER-based violence (GBV) is on the increase in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where armed groups are active.
The violations are rife in the province of Tanganyika.
According to protection actors, at least 2 300 cases of GBV have been documented during the second quarter of 2022.
The territory of Kalemie is in the lead having recorded more than 45 percent of cases, at 1 057 incidents.
The territories of Nyunzu and Kabalo follow.
GBV cases have thus increased by 60 percent compared to the first quarter of 2022, during which 1 436 cases were recorded.
This brings to 3 736 cases of GBV reported from January to July 2022.
This figure represents an increase of more than 69 percent compared to 2021.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, specialists maintain that the urgency remains the strengthening of preventive measures and sensitization in communities on the risks associated with GBV, consequences; support for the integration of medical and psychological care services in health structures and the constant fight against impunity.
Meanwhile, about 11 400 displaced people have returned to their villages on the Kasanga Nyemba – Kisunkulu axis between May and September.
The return movement, which continues, is motivated by a lull in this region which had been affected by communal violence in March and last April.
However, agricultural activities have not yet been re-launched due to a lack of farming tools and seeds.
At least 70 percent of the fields had been destroyed during the violence.
“Many children under the age of five already show visible signs of malnutrition,” a humanitarian spokesperson said.
– CAJ News