Prostitution in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is legal but related activities are prohibited. However, this system was abandoned in the s. Public order laws are sometimes used against sex workers.
Food insecurity and extreme poverty are now the main reasons why women in the DRC become prostitutes. Child prostitution is a problem in the country but is generally ignored by the authorities. There is evidence of sexual abuse of children by soldiers during the Continental and Civil wars.
Child prostitution in the country takes many forms: [ 5 ]. The DRC is a source, destination, and transit country for women, and children subjected to sex trafficking. Women and girls were forced to marry or serve as sex slaves for members of some armed groups. Some street children are suspected to be exploited in sex trafficking. An NGO reported some families send their children to Kinshasa, after being promised educational opportunities for the children; however, upon arrival, the children are subjected to sex trafficking.
Some Congolese women and girls subjected to forced marriage are highly vulnerable to sex trafficking. Congolese women and children migrate to other countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, where some are exploited in sex trafficking.
Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikidata item. Child prostitution [ edit ]. Sex trafficking [ edit ]. See also: Human trafficking in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
