Countering trafficking and organised crime
In the DRC, organised crime and corruption feed each other: illegal taxes on the roads, goods that cross the borders without paying duties, money laundered with the help of complicit officials, and people trafficked for forced labour and sexual exploitation.
In the DRC, organised crime and corruption feed each other: illegal taxes on the roads, goods that cross the borders without paying duties, money laundered with the help of complicit officials, and people trafficked for forced labour and sexual exploitation. The public money lost this way is missing for schools, health centres and roads.
Two United Nations conventions set out what the DRC has committed to do. CERC helps citizens see whether it does.
The figures speak for themselves. During the occupation, up to US$17 million a month in taxes was levied outside the State by the AFC/M23; fraud at the borders still costs South Kivu about US$33 million a month; and an estimated one million people are victims of human trafficking in the DRC – which acceded to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime in 2005.
Two conventions, side by side
| UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) | UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Adopted | 31 October 2003 | 15 November 2000 |
| In force | 14 December 2005 | 29 September 2003 |
| The DRC joined | 23 September 2010 | 25 October 2005, with its Protocols on trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants |
| What it requires | Preventing corruption, criminalising it, international cooperation and the recovery of stolen assets | Making participation in an organised criminal group, money laundering, corruption and obstruction of justice crimes, and cooperating across borders |
| How it is reviewed | Peer review by other States, in cycles; the second covers prevention and asset recovery | A review mechanism launched in 2020, with a self-assessment questionnaire |
| How CERC takes part | The first civil society parallel report on the DRC (2021), with about 100 recommendations, supported by the UNCAC Coalition; the UNCAC Tracker app to follow implementation | UNODC trainings on the review mechanism and its self-assessment questionnaire (2022); a civil society contribution to the review of the DRC in preparation |
The two conventions meet where crime needs corruption: no checkpoint, smuggling route or trafficking network works without officials who look away. That is why we work on both together.
How we work, topic by topic
- Illegal checkpoints and taxes. With GovCheck, citizens, traders and travellers report illegal checkpoints and undue taxes, and follow the authorities’ response; our social alert system, tested in 2024 with three prosecutor’s offices in Kinshasa, gives them trained focal points.
- Border fraud and public revenue. We advocate for taxes paid electronically, monitor the digital border procedures planned in South Kivu, and call for provincial revenue to be published every month.
- Money laundering and complicit officials. We call for the recommendations of our UNCAC report to be applied: independent anti-corruption and anti-money laundering bodies, mutual legal assistance and beneficial ownership information shared with foreign authorities.
- Human trafficking and migrant smuggling. More than one million people are estimated to be victims of trafficking in the DRC. We research how corruption enables it, advocate for laws that criminalise all its forms, and promote the training of frontline officers to identify victims and refer them to care.
- Protecting those who speak up. Reports can be anonymous, and we publish no data that could put anyone at risk.
Our plan for 2027–2030
- Get illegal checkpoints reported and removed, starting in Uvira in 2027, then South Kivu and North Kivu.
- Bring revenue into the treasury, with taxes paid electronically and published every month.
- Contribute to the review of the DRC under the UNTOC, as we did under the UNCAC.
- Understand and stop trafficking where the State returns.
Other initiatives
Ending corruption
What corruption is, what causes it and what it costs the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo – and how CERC works to end it.
Corruption, insecurity and development
In eastern Congo, insecurity and corruption keep public money from reaching the people. How it empties schools and health centres, holds development…
Corruption and lack of accountability
When public money cannot be traced and citizens cannot follow how services are delivered, corruption grows unchecked. The causes, the cost, and how…
CERC and the SDGs
How CERC’s fight against corruption contributes to the 2030 Agenda: Sustainable Development Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions, and…
Our approach
How we work: citizen monitoring, Integrity Clubs and what sets our approach apart.
Our strategy
Our strategies since 2017, and what we will do from 2027 to 2030.
Gender equality and social inclusion
Every child deserves a quality education. It is the surest path out of poverty and towards a fairer Congo. Yet across the DRC, girls face unequal…
Integrity Clubs in schools
Problems we are addressing: Corruption in education has a significant impact on the ability of young people to access future opportunities and…
Institutional integrity building
CERC provides training and mentoring on building institutional integrity and anti-corruption helping local governments, ministries, agencies, public…
Rule of law and access to justice
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the justice sector institutions lack the capacity and independence to advance its own reform and provide…
UNCAC implementation monitoring
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is working hard to advance the implementation and enforcement of provisions under both Chapter II (Preventive…
Citizen demand and service delivery
Your taxes pay for public services: demand that they work, and that the authorities account for them.
Support this work
Help us bring integrity and accountability to more schools, communities and public services in the DRC.
