Alarming Rates of Violence Continue in DRC’s Displaced Camps
A new survey by Epicentre, Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) epidemiological and medical research arm, has revealed alarming rates of violence, particularly sexual violence, in four camps around Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The survey, conducted among displaced people living in these camps, shows that more than one in 10 young women report having been raped in the period covered by the survey, November 2023 to April 2024.
The survey, which examined various themes including retrospective mortality, frequency and type of violent events, measles vaccination coverage, and nutrition status of children, found that the overall frequency of violence remains high in these camps. Sexual violence is the main form of violence reported, with physical and psychological violence also frequently reported.
According to Erica Simons, epidemiologist at Epicentre, the percentage of displaced people reporting episodes of violence during the survey period is similar to that in 2023. "We continue to observe a very high rate of reported cases of violence among the population in the four camps, particularly sexual violence," she said.
The survey also highlights the precarious living conditions in the camps, with hundreds of thousands of displaced people having lost their usual means of subsistence and being dependent on irregular and inadequate food aid. MSF teams are present in most of the camps, providing general healthcare, health promotion, treatment for malnutrition, and care for victims and survivors of sexual violence.
Camille Niel, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Goma, emphasized that the results of the survey are consistent with the extremely high number of cases of sexual violence treated by MSF’s medical teams in the various displaced people’s sites around Goma. "Victims and survivors of sexual violence report being attacked by men, often armed, in the forests and fields where they have to go to collect firewood or the food they need to feed their families," she said.
MSF reiterates its appeal to the authorities and aid agencies to guarantee the protection of displaced people and to respond adequately to the epidemic of violence. The organization calls on aid agencies to step up food assistance, access to income-generating activities, and safe shelters on the sites, as well as to support accommodation and shelter for victims and survivors of sexual violence in serious danger of being attacked again.