USAID cancelled rape survivor kits for Congo as conflict erupted
Internally displaced Congolese women prepare vegetables outside their houses after they fled, following clashes between fighters linked Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Congo-based rebel group and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), in Oicha, North Kivu Province of Democratic Republic of Congo June… Summary
- Thousands of rape survivors in Congo lack access to vital post-rape kits
- USAID contract cancellation disrupts supply chain amid escalating violence
- UNFPA seeks $35 million to mitigate US funding loss for rape survivor care
July 1 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration cancelled a major contract to supply emergency kits for rape survivors in Congo as violence surged in the east this year, leaving thousands without access to life-saving medication, the United Nations and aid groups said.
The emergency kits include medication to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, as well as unwanted pregnancies. The decision to cancel the contract for around 100,000 post-rape kits has not been reported previously.
