Siobhán Mullally, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons is scheduled to present a detailed report on the situation of Human trafficking in DRC.
The special report will present her findings during a trip to DRC from 15th to 25th July 2025. She met with DRC authorities including ministers of Mines, Interior, Human Rights, Family and Children.
KInshasa is trying to forge a multisectoral commitment to the fight against human trafficking and protecting victims.
DRC’s Minister of State Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner advocates for the creation of an international commission of inquiry, calling on the international community to support this initiative despite current budgetary constraints.
During this working session, both parties assessed conflict-related risks, including trafficking as a form of sexual violence in conflict, forced labor, and recruitment and use by armed groups and forces. Following her visit to the DRC, the Special Rapporteur will present her full report to the Human Rights Council in June 2026.
In July 2024, a dozen independent United Nations experts expressed alarm at reports of widespread human trafficking, particularly for sexual slavery and exploitation, as well as an increase in child and forced marriages, due to conflict and population displacement in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
According to UN experts, at least “531 victims of sexual violence” linked to the conflict were recorded between August 2023 and June 2024 in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, Tanganyika, and Maniema.
The UN independent experts also expressed concern about the “rise” in child, early, and forced marriages, as well as the “normalization” of this human rights violation.
Areas affected by hostilities and insecurity, humanitarian and civil society organizations face challenges operating in and accessing these areas, severely hampering displaced people’s access to food, education, and protection. Young girls, in particular, are at increased risk of being trafficked for sexual exploitation and child marriage.
