Orlando Bloom: Violence against children in the Democratic Republic of Congo – recruited to fight, killed and raped – must stop immediately | Opinion

I recently visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is experiencing one of the most complex humanitarian crises in the world.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is home to the world’s largest reserves of coltan – a mineral used in the smartphones we’re glued to – as well as significant amounts of the world’s cobalt and copper. The country has the second largest rainforest on Earth after the Amazon. As the second largest country in Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo is the size of Western Europe. It should be one of the richest countries in the world.

Yet it is one of the poorest countries in the world. Due to ongoing armed conflict and inter-ethnic violence, poor governance and inadequate infrastructure, the Congolese people do not benefit from this immense wealth.

After relative stability in recent years, renewed conflicts in three provinces in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo have led to massive displacement since March 2022. Around 6.4 million people in the east of the country have now been displaced from their homes, including 1.5 million living in camps around the city of Goma. New families are joining every day. There are 7.3 million displaced people across the country – an unprecedented number for the Democratic Republic of Congo. The majority of these people are children and women.

Every single person I met during my five-day trip to the country is looking for safety and new income opportunities. Before this conflict, many of these individuals and families were relatively successful as farmers, traders and transporters. But in their haste to escape the violence, they left everything behind and it is unclear when they will be able to safely return to their homes.

As in most conflicts, children and women are the most affected. Malnutrition remains critical, with more than 1.2 million children under the age of 5 requiring treatment for severe wasting. At the end of last year, 848 schools were closed due to insecurity, disrupting the education of more than 300,000 children.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is regularly among the top three countries with the highest number of serious abuses against children. Last year, the UN confirmed more than 3,750 abuses against children, including 1,861 children recruited and used by armed groups. These are just the reports the UN has been able to confirm, and the true number is likely higher.

Almost no one talks about these atrocities against children.

But what haunts me most is the shocking number of cases of sexual violence against children and women, including in camps for internally displaced people. Two out of five survivors assisted by the humanitarian community across the country in 2023 were children under 18.

I met some of these girls and women in South Kivu at the Panzi Hospital, founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Denis Mukwege.

Here I met Jemima*, who was kidnapped by an armed group at the age of four and taken to the bush. Within a few years she was regularly raped. When she escaped at the age of nine, her small body was so damaged that hospital staff were not sure she would survive. But after many years and many operations, lots of medical help and psychological support, Jemima told me that she is strong, has found her self-esteem and is currently training to be a nurse so she can help other women. Her dream is to become a doctor.

I also met Beatrice*, who was raped by five men at the age of 17. Due to the resulting pregnancy, she was disowned by her family. After finding her way to Panzi, she was hospitalized for four months due to her severe injuries. After recovering, she tried to return home with her newborn, but reintegrating into her community proved impossible. Her family did not want her near them and called her cursed. So she now lives and works at the Panzi center. She has been there for almost ten years. Her little boy, now 9, also goes to school there. He loves to dance, she told me proudly.

The loudest message coming out of the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of war and pain. The stories I’ve heard are heartbreaking. But I’ve also seen the long, slow work of change continue to take shape thanks to UNICEF and its partners. What also gives me hope are the young people I’ve met who are actively looking for ways to come together and support each other creatively.

I want to pass on Jemima’s request to me. “I want people to know what is going on here,” she told me. “This cycle of violence must end.”

Humanitarian aid for the Democratic Republic of Congo remains one of the worst funded crises in the world. Aid is too limited, leaving the population with impossible choices: either provide life-saving food and medical care, sufficient clean drinking water, or protect children from violence, including sexual violence.

Together with UNICEF, I am asking our partners to step up their support to help the millions of children in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo who need our help. At the same time, I am calling on all parties to the conflict to negotiate a comprehensive solution for lasting peace.

*To protect the children’s identities, no real names were used.

Orlando Bloom is a British film and stage actor who was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2009 in recognition of his commitment to the rights of children around the world. He is known for his roles in Pirates of the Caribbean Films and the Oscar-winning trilogy Lord of the Rings.

Orlando has been supporting UNICEF since 2007, when he first visited schools in the remote districts of Kaski and Chitwan, two of the poorest areas of Nepal. Since then, he has traveled extensively with UNICEF, including to Bangladesh, Jordan, Liberia, Niger, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In 2015, he received the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award in recognition of his work with UNICEF. Orlando was also awarded the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award at the 2015 UNICEF Snowflake Ball.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author.