UN raises concerns on violations against children in DR Congo

The United Nations human rights experts have called for urgent measures to address grave violations against children in the Democratic Republic of Congo amid escalating hostilities in North and South Kivu provinces.

More than 1,100 unaccompanied and separated children in North and South Kivu have been identified by humanitarian agencies, with attacks on hospitals, humanitarian facilities, and civilian infrastructure further compounding the crisis.

Additionally, schools have been attacked, occupied by armed groups or used as shelters for displaced populations.

"As offensive intensify, more than 700,000 people, 41 percent of whom are school-aged children, have been displaced and the number of casualties, including among children, is mounting at an alarming rate. A majority of cases remain unreported, and this may only be a tip of the iceberg," the UN human rights experts warned in a statement on Wednesday.

Health facilities have reported a rise in rape cases with children accounting for 30 percent of those treated.

Concerns of children being recruited in armed conflict have been raised, with the children being exposed to devastating conditions, including injury, abduction, death and sexual violence.

"We are particularly concerned by reports of children disappearing, being abducted or trafficked and recruited for use in combat by all parties to the conflict," they said.

The experts called for child-sensitive measures to be immediately implemented to protect children from the violations.

"These include strengthening early warning and child protection risk alert systems, developing robust age verification methods to prevent child recruitment, and authorizing access for child protection agencies to visit military sites to verify that no children have been unlawfully recruited," they said.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the experts are in contact with the DRC authorities about the issues.

edithmutethya@chinadaily.com.cn