The Trump administration cancelled a major contract to supply 100 000 emergency kits for rape survivors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as violence surged in the country this year, leaving thousands without access to lifesaving medication, the United Nations and aid groups have said.
Reuters reports that the kits include medication to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, as well as unwanted pregnancies.
America disbursed $65bn in foreign assistance last year, nearly half of it via USAID, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and other aid organisations are now trying to raise at least $35m to cover the loss of funding.
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels swept across the east of the DRC in January, seizing two major cities in an escalation of a decades-long conflict, and since then, said the UN, some 67 000 rapes have been recorded, with many more probably going unreported.
The post-rape kits come in a box containing HIV medication to prevent infection within 72 hours, antibiotics and testing for sexually transmitted diseases and emergency contraception. The supplies paid for by USAID were meant to reach more than 2 000 facilities.
The UNFPA told Reuters only seven out of 34 health zones have a minimal supply of post-rape kits left. Less than one in four survivors’ needs are currently being met. Only 13% of survivors who ask for help receive medication to prevent HIV within the recommended 72-hour window.
Reuters article – Rape survivor kits for Congo cancelled by USAID as conflict erupted (Open access)
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