The UN documented around 4,500 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2024, though the real number is probably much higher, with 93% of survivors being women and girls.
Sexual violence has become a weapon of war in many conflicts today. Armed groups use rape and sexual assault to terrorize civilians, tear apart families, and destroy communities from within. In Haiti, gangs have forced family members to rape their own mothers and wives, according to Pascale Solages, who founded a feminist organization there. She says women’s bodies are being turned into battlegrounds as attackers try to break community bonds and establish control.
The trauma doesn’t end with the survivors. Many get rejected by their communities and must raise children born from rape on their own. Esméralda Alabre, who coordinates the UN reproductive health agency’s response to gender-based violence in Sudan, says their cries are being ignored by the world. Survivors and their children often can’t get education or jobs, pushing them into poverty and making them more vulnerable. UN Special Representative Pramila Patten, who works with survivors of sexual violence in conflict, notes that for too many women and children, war doesn’t end when it officially ends.
Most attackers never face justice, while survivors carry the burden of stigma and shame. Recent aid cuts have made things worse – United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) had to close 40 safe spaces for women and girls in Sudan in March alone. Patten warned that cutting support for women’s recovery hurts everyone, as undermining investment in women’s recovery means undermining investment in conflict recovery, leaving everyone with a less safe world.
