The number of children and women treated after sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has soared to alarming levels this year, with cases supported by Save the Children rising more than four-fold in just six months, the NGO warned on Thursday.

Between January and July 2025, the organisation assisted 2,702 survivors, up from 612 during the same period last year. The DRC’s Ministry of Health has also reported a 16% rise in sexual violence nationwide, with about 73,400 cases in the first half of the year, nearly one-third involving girls under 16.

The surge comes as fighting intensifies in eastern DRC, where armed groups have escalated attacks on civilians, driving hunger, displacement, and civilian casualties. More than one million people have been forced from their homes this year alone.

Health workers at Save the Children-supported clinics said survivors often face unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, stigma, and suicidal thoughts. Aid staff recounted harrowing cases of children raped alongside their parents, and mothers assaulted in front of their children.

Ana, whose named was changed for anonymity, is a 17-year-old from eastern DRC. She described being dragged from her bed and raped by armed men who stormed her family home. Her brother was shot dead, and other relatives were brutally beaten.

“I screamed, I begged for mercy, but no one listened,” she said.

Save the Children warned that aid cuts and supply shortages mean many survivors cannot access post-exposure kits to prevent HIV or other critical care. In June, the group also reported that funding shortfalls had sharply reduced support for survivors among refugees in neighbouring Burundi, even as cases among children there more than tripled.

Greg Ramm, Save the Children’s Country Director in DRC, called the increase “deeply alarming.”

“The four-fold increase in cases of sexual violence supported by Save the Children in eastern DRC this year compared to last year highlights a humanitarian crisis in which women and girls are paying a heavy price,

“We urgently need funding to get lifesaving supplies to survivors who need them most.” Ramm said.

He stressed that the documented cases are only a fraction of the reality.

“All parties involved in the conflict are obliged under international humanitarian law to protect civilians, including children,” he said. “When a child is sexually assaulted, it reflects the horrifying mismatch between the protection they are owed and the reality they face.”

Save the Children has worked in the DRC since 1994 and is scaling up emergency support, including healthcare through mobile clinics, mental health and psychosocial care, survivor support groups, and community training to prevent exploitation. The group is also working to keep children in school by constructing classrooms, training teachers, and distributing learning materials.