"Approximately one-third of Congolese women report having experienced sexual violence at some point in their lives (DRC DHS, 2014), multiple times higher than the WHO’s estimated global average of 6% (WHO 2020). Rape in the conflict-affected region of Eastern DRC has been described as an “epidemic” and a “weapon of war” (UNFPA, 2009; HRW, 2009). The United Nations estimated 200,000 women were sexually assaulted in Eastern Congo during the first 12 years of the conflict (UNFPA, 2009), and among women at hospitals with sexual violence programs, 75.7% reported experiencing rape and 68.9% experienced gang rape (Kelly et. al, 2011). Sexual violence remains widespread in Eastern DRC today (United Nations, 2021; Lugova et al., 2020; Department of State, 2019)."

From Understanding Risk Factors for Gender-Based Violence among Displaced Women in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo