Grave Violations

1,991

children (1,776 boys, 215 girls)

474

(305 killed - 169 maimed; 293 boys - 181 girls)

557

children (547 girls, 10 boys)

113

(69 schools, 44 hospitals)

1,192

children (850 boys, 342 girls)

9

verified incidents

Developments & Concerns

Progress

  • Continued commitments of the Government to sustain the gains made in preventing child recruitment and use, including through screening mechanisms.
  • Efforts to hold perpetrators of grave violations accountable, including for cases of child recruitment and use, and for cases of sexual violence.
  • The signature by six commanders of unilateral commitments to protect children, following United Nations advocacy, and the release of 430 children.

 

 

Challenges

  • Staggeringly high number of violations against children, particularly those committed by armed groups, and amid rising intercommunal violence, hate speech and attacks on civilians.
  • Increase in the number of violations by government forces, particularly the killing and maiming of children and attacks on schools and hospitals, mostly in Ituri and North Kivu Provinces.

 

 

Recommendations

For the Government:

  • To redouble efforts to end and prevent sexual violence against children, including by its forces, which are responsible for a persistently high number of violations.
  • To implement the 2012 action plan and other commitments to address conflict-related sexual violence and prioritize access to services for survivors.
  • To implement the Safe Schools Declaration, which it endorsed in 2016.
  • To release children detained for alleged association with armed groups and to treat them in line with the 2013 governmental directives and international juvenile justice standards.

For All Parties:

  • To cease and prevent violations against children, to protect children during operations and immediately and unconditionally to release children.

 

 

 

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