Sudan: Children as Young as 12 Raped and Assaulted as Sexual Violence Rips Through the Country

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (July 7, 2023)—Teenage girls are being sexually assaulted and raped by armed combatants in Sudan in alarming numbers, with many survivors aged between 12 and 17 years old, said Save the Children. 

The children make up some of the cases of sexual and gender-based violence as a result of the escalating conflict, with incidents of rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation being reported by women and girls who have fled the conflict in Khartoum and other areas. 

While the sexual violence is understood to be rampant, only 88 cases of rape as a result of the conflict have been verified. This includes at least 42 alleged cases in the capital, Khartoum, and 46 in the Darfur region. However, according to the Sudanese Unit for Combating Violence against Women[1], a Government Unit, this figure likely represents 2% of total cases – meaning there have been a possible 4,400 cases of sexual violence in 11 weeks alone. 

Some survivors are arriving in neighboring countries pregnant as a result of rape, according to UNHCR. There have also been reports of girls being kidnapped and held for days while being sexually assaulted and of gang rapes of girls and women. 

Save the Children staff are also reporting that some children are being targeted specifically for their ethnicity as well as their gender. Save the Children is also particularly concerned about children travelling alone, who will be at much higher risk of violence, abuse and exploitation. 

Even before fighting broke out on April 15, more than 3 million women and girls in Sudan were at risk of gender-based violence. This number has since climbed to an estimated 4.2 million people.

Sexual violence is often used as a weapon of war against children to terrorize them, spread fear and intimidation for political and military gain, to ethnically cleanse or humiliate an ethnic group, or to punish civilians for suspected support of opposing forces.

The trauma it inflicts can have long-lasting physical, psychological, social, and economic effects. The brutality of the physical act itself can be especially damaging for children whose bodies aren't fully developed. Girls might suffer uterine prolapses, fistula, and other injuries to their reproductive system and face complications and death due to early pregnancy and unsafe abortions. Both girls and boys risk urinary and anal damage and exposure to sexually transmitted diseases that, left untreated, can cause long-term harm and even death.

Sara Abdelrazig, Save the Children's Head of Implementation in North Kordofan, said: 

"We run six mobile health clinics providing primary health care services for displaced populations. Unfortunately, we are encountering frequent cases of women affected by sexual violence during our consultations and are doing our best to support them. 

"The emergency unit at the main hospital was hit during an airstrike, and we do not have any good hospitals here now where we can refer serious medical cases to for further investigation. Often specialists for traumatic cases are unavailable, and of course, the lack of electricity is affecting the work in the laboratories and even sometimes the mobile health clinics."

Save the Children is running mobile health clinics in the camps for displaced people, where survivors of violence have been identified. In cases of children with severe signs of trauma, Save the Children is providing specialized psychological care. Save the Children is supporting sexual assault survivors through mental health and psychosocial support, hospital and specialist referrals, and hosting awareness-raising activities about children's rights and abuse. 

More than 3,000 people have died, and 6,000 have been injured since April 15, including at least 330 children killed and 1900 injured, according to Sudan's Ministry of Health. However, aid workers and witnesses say many bodies have been uncounted. In addition, an increasing number of children are at risk of child recruitment and association with armed groups.

Arif Noor, Country Director for Save the Children in Sudan, said:

"Sexual violence continues to be used as a tool to terrorize women and children in Sudan. We know that the official numbers are only the tip of the iceberg. Children as young as 12 are being targeted for their gender, ethnicity, and vulnerability. 

"Mothers have told Save the Children staff in displacement camps that one of their reasons for fleeing their homes is concerns for their personal safety and that of their girls. We have also heard parents who are making the agonizing decision to marry their daughters at a young age in an attempt to "shield" them from further risks of sexual violence, assault or exploitation. This is a hideous and terrifying situation for girls to be in."

"Save the Children is calling on parties to the conflict to agree to an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan and find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Every child, no matter where they live, deserves to live a safe, happy and healthy life free from violence. It is critical for the survival of children and families that we see an end to this fighting. This is the only way to protect children from violence and other violations of their rights."

The eruption of fighting comes as Sudan was already facing its worst-ever humanitarian crisis, with existing conflict, natural disasters, disease outbreaks and economic degradation already leaving 15.8 million people in need. 

Save the Children has worked in Sudan since 1983 to provide humanitarian relief to people affected by the drought in western Sudan. Since then, we've been supporting children and families affected by conflict, displacement, extreme poverty, hunger and a lack of basic services. Many of the children and families we serve are among the most vulnerable and hardest to reach.

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 [1] The Unit for Combatting Violence against Women sits under Sudan's Ministry of Social Development and receives and shares reports of conflict-related sexual violence.

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