DR Congo: US funding cut leaves rape victims without care
Kinshasa, DRC (PANA) - As sexual violence has increased this year in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the withdrawal of US funding is leaving thousands of people without care and access to lifesaving medicines, a United Nations agency warned Thursday.
According to the UN agency for sexual and reproductive health (UNFPA), the recent US disengagement, which resulted in a 37% cut in funding for protection and more than 50% cut in sexual and reproductive health, has left the health system on the brink of collapse.
The report, which covers the period from May 2025, notes that more than half of the gender-based violence service delivery points that were operating last year are no longer operational. In frontline areas, 90 to 100 percent of survivor support structures have closed or suspended their activities.
After taking office in January, President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid and halted grants from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
"As conflict-related sexual violence increases in eastern DRC, USAID has cut funding for gender-based violence (GBV), contributing to a shortage of post-rape kits to treat survivors," the UNFPA office in the DRC reported on X.
In early July, an investigation revealed that the administration of US President Donald Trump cancelled a major contract to supply emergency kits to rape survivors in Congo. These emergency kits include medications to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, as well as unwanted pregnancies.
"The mapping of post-rape kits carried out by the working group on sexual and reproductive health shows that stocks are limited in eastern DRC and that many health facilities are completely out of stock," UNFPA specifies.
These funding cuts come as "persistent" violence in the east of the Great Lakes country continues to have a "devastating impact" on women and girls. The number of recorded cases of sexual violence is reaching "unprecedented levels", with hundreds of cases reported each week in the eastern part of the DRC, particularly in South Kivu, North Kivu, Ituri, and Tanganyika.
"The actual figures are likely much higher due to underreporting caused by fear, stigma and limited access to services," UNFPA cautions.
However, many health centers in Goma, Walikale, Rutshuru, Lubero, Masisi (North Kivu) and Kalehe (South Kivu) no longer receive medicines or supplies to treat rape victims, according to UN News.
Only 7 of North Kivu's 34 health zones currently have a minimal stock of post-rape kits, and the majority of recorded cases of sexual violence survivors seeking medical assistance have not been treated.
“Less than one in four survivors have their needs met. Currently, only 13% of referred survivors have received post-exposure prophylaxis within the critical 72-hour window, putting them at risk of contracting HIV.”
Yet without these vital medical supplies, women and girls risk suffering from injuries (including genital injuries), unwanted pregnancies, and pregnancy-related complications, such as fatal unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and urinary tract infections.
Of the $42 million appeal, UNFPA has received only $11.6 million. And without urgent funds to cover the loss of US funding, humanitarian agencies in the DRC fear the consequences for women: deaths of survivors, the spread of HIV, unwanted pregnancies, and unsafe abortions, with a high risk of maternal mortality.
-0- PANA MA 18July2025
