Latest news with #CRSV
Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Statement By Radhouane Nouicer On The International Day For The Elimination Of Sexual Violence In Conflict
Geneva, 19 June 2025 As we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, sexual violence continues to leave lasting scars on individuals, families and entire communities across Sudan. With the war in Sudan now in its third year, conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) remains rampant. I am deeply alarmed by the continued failure of warring parties to prevent such violence. As of 31 May 2025, UN Human Rights had documented 368 incidents of CRSV in Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict, involving at least 521 victims. More than half of these cases involved rape, including gang rape, often targeting internally displaced women and girls, and often marked by ethnic hatred. Over 70 per cent of documented incidents were attributed to the Rapid Support Forces. Yet this figure only reflects a small fraction of the real picture, compared with the hundreds of incidents that remain unreported due to stigma, fear of retaliation, and the collapse of medical and legal systems in certain areas. Testimonies of survivors of sexual violence highlight shocking brutality, and pervasive patterns of such horrific acts. UN Human Rights has documented accounts of rape committed in front of family members, abductions and subsequent sexual violence, trafficking for sexual exploitation, and assaults on woman activists including those documenting CRSV. Sexual violence often occurred alongside other grave violations and abuses, including killing, torture and arbitrary detention. As the conflict has continued to intensify in 2025, there have been increased reports of the use of sexual violence, including on the basis of ethnic origin, as a tool of fear, reprisal, and intimidation by both parties to the conflict and their affiliated militias and groups. Women and girls do not start wars, yet they continue to bear the brunt of their consequences. CRSV is both a grave human rights emergency and a humanitarian crisis, with enduring harm that extends to families, children born of rape, and entire generations, while perpetrators remain largely unpunished. I strongly condemn the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war in Sudan. The prevalence of sexual violence inflicts devastating and long-lasting harm on survivors' physical, reproductive, and mental health, while tearing apart the social fabric of entire communities. Women, girls, men and boys need to be protected from sexual violence, and their safety and security must be ensured. Perpetrators must be held accountable, and justice mechanisms, both national and international, must be mobilized to end impunity for these heinous crimes. I call on all parties and the international community to act immediately, to hold perpetrators accountable regardless of their affiliation, to ensure that survivors receive medical care, and to protect future generations from such horrors. No matter how long it may take, justice must not be denied, for this generation, and the next generation.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Scoop
Long After The Guns Fall Silent, Conflict-related Sexual Violence Leaves Lasting Scars
19 June 2025 In 2024 alone, the UN verified around 4,500 cases of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), though the real number is likely much higher. An overwhelming 93 per cent of survivors were women and girls. Under international law, CRSV is recognised as a war crime, a crime against humanity, and an act that can constitute genocide. Its long-lasting impact undermines efforts to build lasting peace. On Thursday, the UN marked the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, highlighting the enduring and intergenerational effects of this brutal tactic. Tactic of war In many conflicts, sexual violence is deliberately used to terrorise, punish and humiliate civilians. ' It is used to terrorise, to punish, but also to humiliate civilians, especially women and girls, ' said Esméralda Alabre, coordinator of the UN reproductive health agency's (UNFPA) response to gender-based violence in Sudan, speaking to UN News. But the harm does not stop with the survivors. CRSV is often used to tear apart communities and undermine social cohesion. It fragments families, spreads fear and deepens societal divisions. In Haiti, gangs have forced family members to rape their own mothers and wives, according to Pascale Solages, founder of a feminist organization in the country. Women's bodies are being turned into battlegrounds. Perpetrators aim to destroy community bonds, using rape as a tool of domination and control. Survivors are left to carry the burden of trauma, stigma and isolation, she told UN News. Generational trauma Many survivors are silenced by fears of reprisal and retaliation: 'to break the cycle, we must confront horrors of the past,' said UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in a statement marking the day. Trauma is not only immediate, but also creates deep and lasting intergenerational wounds, as the cycle of violence often impacts multiple generations. Shunned from their communities, many survivors are forced to raise children born out of rape, on their own. ' It's almost like their cries are being ignored by the world,' said Ms. Alabre. Survivors of CRSV and their children, often excluded from education, employment, and other essential aspects of life, are pushed into poverty – further deepening their vulnerability. ' For too many women and children, war is not over when it's over,' said the UN Special Representative who advocates for all those who experience sexual violence in conflict settings, Pramila Patten. Need for accountability Survivors not only have the right to safety and support, but also to justice and redress. Yet, ' too often, perpetrators walk free, cloaked in impunity while survivors often bear the impossible burden of stigma and shame,' said Mr. Guterres. The limited availability of support services, especially following recent aid cuts, stands in the way of survivors' healing: not only is it becoming harder for survivors to hold their attackers accountable, prevention efforts are being stymied by funding cuts in many capitals since the start of the year. 'What happened to me could have been prevented,' survivors have told Ms. Patten time and time again. Yet, in March alone, UNFPA's Sudan office had to close 40 women and girls safe spaces, impeding efforts to provide both immediate and long-term care to survivors. Community-based interventions, child-friendly support for child survivors' education, and legislative policy changes play a crucial role in preventing CRSV. ' If we undermine investment in women's recovery, we undermine investment in conflict recovery, and we all inherit a less safe world,' said Ms. Patten.
Forbes
6 days ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Addressing The Intergenerational Effects Of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) is a crime which affects all aspects of victims/survivors' lives, with consequences which are far reaching and long-lasting. CRSV may cause physical and psychological trauma, and stigma, among others, all which affect victims/survivors and their families for generations. Many survivors remain silent due to fear of reprisals, lack of support, and the stigma placed on them instead of the perpetrators. CRSV is a crime which destroys the social fabric of entire communities for generations to come. The consequences can be magnified where CRSV results in pregnancies, often leading to further societal rejection of children born in these circumstances. Despite various international initiatives and efforts, the crime continues unabated, and is perpetrated across all situations of conflict and atrocity crimes. While some situations receive some attention, with media coverage, documentation efforts, investigations and prosecutions, others continue in the darkness. For example, in a recent statement in June 2025, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Ms. Pramila Patten expressed grave concerns over the escalating levels of sexual violence being inflicted upon women and girls amid the worsening gang violence in Haiti. As she emphasized, the situation has reached a breaking point: 'These heinous crimes are overwhelmingly concentrated in areas under gang control, where State presence is virtually nonexistent. In many instances, sexual violence is being used deliberately and systematically to assert dominance and punish communities.' The situation in Haiti is among several dire cases that fall through the crack of international attention and responses. Ten years ago, on June 19, 2015, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed June 19 the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, to raise awareness of the need to put an end to CRSV, and to honor the victims/survivors of sexual violence around the world. In 2025, the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict is focused on addressing the intergenerational effects of CRSV, including by empowering victims/survivors through healing and community support. As the UN stressed, 'To break this cycle and promote healing, access to mental health and psychosocial support is crucial. Survivors require trauma-informed care to help navigate their experiences and build resilience. Effective intervention strategies include community-based support, child-friendly resources for young survivors, educational initiatives, and legislative changes aimed at preventing conflict-related sexual violence. By addressing intergenerational trauma, we can foster an environment where survivors and their children are empowered to reclaim their lives, transforming their experiences of horror into hope and healing.' For the 2025 commemoration of the UN Day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized that 'The focus of this year is the deep and lasting intergenerational wounds of conflict-related sexual violence. To break the cycle, we must confront the horrors of the past, support the survivors of today, and protect future generations from the same fate. That means ensuring safe access to vital, survivor-centered and trauma-informed services; delivering justice and holding perpetrators to account; and listening to -- and amplifying -- the vital voices of survivors.' António Guterres further added that 'Too often, perpetrators walk free, cloaked in impunity, while survivors often bear the impossible burden of stigma and trauma. The pain does not end with them. It stretches across lifetimes, ravaging generations of families, and forces the inherited legacy of trauma and suffering on the descendants of survivors.' Indeed, CRSV, including rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, enforced sterilization, forced marriage and any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity perpetrated against women, men, girls or boys, is a war crime, a crime against humanity and a constituent act of genocide under international law, and must be treated as such. Words of condemnation are important but never enough. Actions are key - including investigations and prosecutions of all those responsible for the crimes, but also steps to support victims/survivors with their short and long term needs.
Zawya
13-06-2025
- Zawya
Sexual violence survivors and United Nations partners promote economic empowerment at workshop
Abuk Buol is a survivor in every sense of the word. The 39-year-old endured horrific sexual violence, brutality and was forced from her home in Bor during the civil war that ravaged South Sudan. 'I struggled to cope with what happened,' she says. 'Every time I saw a man, I felt scared, and I experienced long-lasting psychological distress.' Today, she personifies strength and resilience. Reunited with her family back home, the mother of six, is working to secure justice for the horrors that she and so many others endured and to rebuild her life. 'In 2018, I received training from the United Nations in tailoring and local soap-making. This empowered me to make soap and sell it to restaurants. Eventually, I was able to support my family.' Abuk was among 60 participants at workshop in Juba focused on building on an existing project that seeks to ensure the socio-economic empowerment of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). The project delivers survivor-centered services in Jonglei, Unity, Western Equatoria and Juba, including medical care, psychosocial support, legal aid, and livelihood assistance, through referrals to specialised Family Protection or One Stop Centers. Supported by UNFPA, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, and the International Trade Centre, it also supports survivors in speaking out and supporting others. 'The project has really helped survivors because, before we trained them how to be open, they could not really express their story in front of people, but now they are capable to talk about what happened to them and to advise others who have experienced sexual violence,' says Anna Reagan Tut from Rural Development Action Aid. The objective of the workshop was to learn about the challenges in accessing services and reintegrating into society, share best practices, and strengthen coordination and partnerships. Most of all, it was to amplify the voices of the survivors. 'Their courage in seeking healing and justice is nothing short of inspiring,' says Sheila Keetharuth, Senior Women's Protection Advisor at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. 'Each survivor's story is a testament of their unyielding spirit and the importance of standing together against sexual violence in conflict.' The workshop also provided an opportunity for partners to discuss the steps taken to prevent and respond to persistent sexual violence as well as to explore new measures. 'As we know, conflict-related sexual violence is pervasive and is underreported in South Sudan,' says Esther Ikere Eluzai, Undersecretary Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare. 'A lot of effort has been made to address this problem within communities and society more generally. But challenges remain, and I this project has been at the center of this response.' The workshop aims to improve future projects and secure new commitments from national and international stakeholders to sustain support for CRSV survivors, as well as to encourage policy reform in South Sudan. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
