UN Officials Alarmed by Surge in Violence against Women, Girls in Sudan

Senior UN officials have expressed shock and condemnation in response to the increasing reports of gender-based violence in Sudan, including sexual violence against internally displaced and refugee women and girls of the violence-hit nation.

The officials called for "an immediate end to gender-based violence", particularly sexual violence used as a tactic of war to terrorise people, Xinhua news agency.

They emphasised the importance of conducting "prompt, thorough, impartial, and independent investigations" into all alleged gross violations and abuses of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law.

They also stressed "the need for accountability for the perpetrators".

The officials underscored that all parties must fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law to protect civilians, including women and girls. This includes ensuring safe passage for survivors to access healthcare and allowing health workers to reach health facilities.

The heads of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the UN Human Rights Office, the UN Refugee Agency, the UN Children's Fund, the UN Population Fund, UN Women, and the World Health Organization also highlighted the urgent need "to scale up gender-based violence prevention and response services" in Sudan and neighboring countries.

Many individuals fleeing violence have sought refuge in these neighboring countries, and there is "a pressing need to address their increasing needs," as stated in the release.

Prior to the outbreak of the conflict on April 15, the UN estimated that over 3 million women and girls in Sudan were at risk of gender-based violence, including intimate-partner violence.

This number has now increased to an estimated 4.2 million people.

Assisting women and girls on a large scale "requires generous support from donors".

The revised Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan calls for $63 million to fund prevention and response services for survivors of gender-based violence in Sudan, aiming to reach 1.3 million people.

Funding requirements for protection programs, including gender-based violence prevention and response for those who fled Sudan to neighboring countries, stand at nearly $63 million in the complementary Regional Refugee Response Plan.