Beyond the 72 h window: operationalizing safe abortion as essential care for sexual violence survivors in humanitarian settings

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), sexual violence is systematically employed as a weapon of war, precipitating a profound reproductive health crisis. Current clinical protocols prioritize intervention within a 72-hour window; however, pervasive insecurity, displacement, and geographic barriers frequently prevent survivors from accessing care within this timeframe. This broken link in the referral chain effectively denies survivors safe abortion services, resulting in forced pregnancies