Rise in Conflicts, Food Insecurity Putting Women, Girls Worldwide at Increasing Risk of Sexual Violence, Special Representative Warns Security Council

Women and girls face escalating risks of sexual violence, driven by intensifying conflict, deepening food insecurity and drawdowns of UN peace operations, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, warning of the devastating impact of sharply reduced humanitarian assistance.

"What future do we expect to build on the broken bodies and broken dreams of abused women and girls," asked Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, during the Council’s day-long debate on the subject. Amid mounting needs, women’s front-line organizations are going "from underfunded to unfunded". "We are told there is no money for life-saving aid, even as military expenditure soars and the world spends more in 24 hours on arms than it does in a year on addressing gender-based violence in conflict," she stressed.

Citing examples, she said that, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, clinics are being forced to turn away survivors due to a lack of basic post-rape care, she said. In South Sudan, women returning home from displacement camps are in desperate need of assistance to rebuild their lives and livelihoods. And in Sudan, Ukraine, northern Ethiopia and Gaza, healthcare systems have been decimated, and humanitarian organizations forced to do "more and more with less and less".

"We often speak of ‘survivors', but let us not forget the women in Darfur who have committed suicide, rather than face the near certainty of rape by armed men," she continued. The threat, terror and torment of wartime sexual violence is something that many do not survive, she said, pointing to documented cases of family members being murdered for defending their loved ones, or women being killed after rape, with a level of cruelty "beyond comprehension".

25 Per Cent Increase in Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

In 2024, over 4,600 cases of conflict-related sexual violence were documented, a staggering 25 per cent increase from 2023, which was itself a 50 per cent increase from the previous year, according to the Secretary-General’s annual report on the subject (document S/2025/389). The increase reflects the widening scope of warfare globally.

The report, she said, lists 63 parties credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of sexual violence in situations of conflict on the Council’s agenda, with new listings in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Such violence is explicitly reflected in the designation criteria of nine sanctions regimes, resulting in some 30 listings, which sends "a powerful political signal".

Echoing the words of Yazidi sexual violence survivor, now Nobel Laureate, Nadia Murad — "I want to be the last girl with a story like mine" — she asked: "How many 'last girls' must address this Council before their calls to action are heard and heeded and we end, once and for all, the ancient trilogy of wartime terror: looting, pillage and rape?"

Security Council Must Stand for Women’s Rights in Sudan

Ikhlass Ahmed, founder and coordinator of Darfur Advocacy Group, said that over two years into the conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), civilians are under siege. "We are facing unfolding genocide, famine and the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crises," she stressed, adding that, just last week, an RSF attack claimed the lives of at least 57 civilians.

She underscored that conflict-related sexual violence — ranging from rape and sexual slavery to kidnapping and enforced disappearances of women — has become a hallmark of the war. Over 12 million people, primarily women and girls, are at risk of gender-based violence perpetrated by all parties to the conflict, including both SAF and RSF.

She further recalled that, in Sudan, and particularly in Darfur, many women who endured rape during the Darfur genocide are once again experiencing the same atrocities at the hands of the same militias. Native African tribes, including the Zaghawa, Massalite, Tunjur, Fur and Burti, have been deliberately targeted on ethnicity. She reported that over 30 women and girls remain in RSF detention in a former medical-supply building east of El Fasher; some held for over seven months. The people of Darfur have been left without any protection since 2020, when the Council prematurely decided to withdraw the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), she added.

"Emergency contraception, prophylaxis and safe and timely abortion services are non-existent for most survivors. Women and girls are forced to give birth in dangerous conditions," she continued, citing 174 attacks on health providers and facilities. At an alarming moment for women in conflict zones around the globe, against rising militarization and a backlash against women’s rights, "we need you to stand with us", she said, urging this Council to send a different message: "that all eyes are on Sudan, and that you will not allow another genocide to take place under your watch".

Numerous delegates — among them, the representatives of Greece and China — unequivocally condemned all forms of conflict-related sexual violence, spotlighting the increasingly worrying developments in the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Sudan and South Sudan.

"Behind every victim or survivor of sexual and gender-based violence is a person whose body and future has been weaponized," said Slovenia’s delegate, adding that the numbers in the Secretary-General’s report reflect only "the tip of an iceberg". Adding to that, the United States’ representative said that "for every reported case, countless others remain undocumented and unaddressed".

Armed Groups, Criminal Networks Using Sexual Violence to Finance Operations

Citing the Secretary-General's report "as devastating as it is revealing", the representative of Panama, Council President for the month, spoke in his national capacity to emphasize that sexual violence is also an economic strategy. Armed groups and criminal networks use it to finance their operations, displace communities and control territories, he stressed, pointing to Sudan, where security vacuums have left women and girls particularly vulnerable to abuse.

Conflict-related sexual violence remains a weapon of war, "tearing at the fabric of communities", said Somalia’s representative, stressing that most perpetrators are non-State actors, often in Africa, where overlapping crises and chronic underfunding weaken responses.

"Armed groups exploit power vacuums and weak governance structures to target civilians with impunity," echoed Sierra Leone’s representative, warning against the withdrawal of UN peace operations without adequate transition planning or reallocation of resources.

Focus on Russian Federation, Ukraine

While the report does not formally list the Russian Federation in its annex, it presents credible documentation of over 200 cases of conflict-related sexual violations perpetrated by Russian Federation armed forces against Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians, underlined the representative of the European Union, speaking in its capacity as observer. She also noted the unusual measure by the Secretary-General to put the Russian Federation and Israel "on notice" for potential listing in the next report "due to the consistent denial of access for UN monitors".

Calling for targeted sanctions against those who perpetrate and direct sexual violence in conflict, Denmark’s delegate stated: "The Russian Federation and Israel, who are both mentioned in the appendix [of the Secretary-General’s report], should honour their commitments and grant the UN unimpeded access for monitoring purposes and cooperate with the [Special Representative of the Secretary-General] and relevant UN entities."

In Ukraine, there is mounting evidence of Russian Federation-perpetrated sexual violence against both civilians and detainees, concurred the United Kingdom’s delegate, noting that two in three detainees are affected. France’s representative added: "A permanent member of this Council, Russia, is committing sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war, flouting international humanitarian law and the resolutions that we have adopted together."

Ukraine’s delegate said that, while "women and girls constitute most of the victims" of conflict-related sexual violence, the Secretary-General’s report also notes that "men and boys are affected". Ukraine knows this too well: "Russia deliberately uses conflict-related sexual violence as a weapon of war and a tool of torture against civilians and prisoners of war," she said. Ukrainian prosecutors have documented 372 such cases — "136 men, 236 women and 20 children"—though the true scale remains hidden by fear and stigma.

Behind each statistic is a human life, she said, demanding the immediate release of all civilians held in "Russia’s torture chambers", and urging the listing of the Russian Armed Forces and Federal Security Services of the Russian Federation as "persistent perpetrators". Survivors "need justice and support now, not years from now", she stressed, warning that every day without action means "more shattered lives".

The Russian Federation’s speaker, however, said that the references to his country in the Secretary-General’s annual report "do not reflect reality". He asserted that Russian Federation law enforcement agencies have found no evidence, nor initiated criminal proceedings, regarding alleged sex-related crimes by Russian Federation soldiers during the special military operation. He further noted that Moscow has declined to cooperate with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine and the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine due to their blatant anti-Russian bias. Allegations of conflict-related sexual violence by Russian Federation officials, he added, are "based on anonymous and unsubstantiated sources".

Sexual Violence in Occupied Palestinian Territory

Algeria’s delegate noted that the Secretary-General’s report confirms 12 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence perpetrated by Israeli armed and security forces, including rape, genital violence and detainees "subjected to burns to the anus". Yet, Israel is not listed among perpetrators — a "glaring omission" that "fosters impunity" and "destroys trust in our reporting mechanisms", she said. Emphasizing that "Israel is already on notice," she called for independent investigations, targeted sanctions, survivor participation and sustained support programmes.

Adding to that, Pakistan’s delegate stressed that conflict-related sexual violence is used as "a tool to consolidate illegal occupation of territories". In the occupied Palestinian territories, despite restricted monitoring, the UN has documented "rape, sexual violence, prolonged forced nudity and repeated strip searches inflicted in degrading ways". Similar patterns are seen in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, where rape has been used "to punish and humiliate communities," with reports of nearly "10,000 women and girls missing" between 2019 and 2021.

The representative of Israel, meanwhile, welcomed the inclusion of Hamas in the annex of the Secretary-General’s annual report on conflict-related sexual violence, reflecting "undeniable evidence of atrocities" committed on 7 October 2023 and against hostages since. However, Israel "firmly rejects" its mention in the appendix, he said, calling it "an attempt to create a false equivalence between a democratic State governed by the rule of law, defending its citizens, and a terrorist group committing mass atrocities".

Conflict-Affected Countries Highlight Efforts, Obstacles to Ending Violence

Sudan’s delegate underscored that his Government exerts every effort to eradicate sexual and gender-based violence. In April 2025, it took a pivotal step by signing the renewed Framework of Cooperation with the UN to address conflict-related sexual violence. "This was not a symbolic gesture, but a signal of commitment, backed by action," she asserted, noting Khartoum’s efforts to ensure that conflict-related sexual violence "not as an inevitable consequence of conflict, but as a preventable and prosecutable crime".

The environment for women and girls to live safely and peacefully has been shrinking in Myanmar since the 2021 illegal military coup, said that country’s delegate. The military junta continues using sexual violence to attack civilians as part of its "modus operandi", he said, citing 500 cases of conflict-related sexual violence that have been documented between February 2021 and June 2024. "Sometimes sexual violence, including rape, by junta forces, took place in front of husband, father, mother, sisters, brothers and children," he stated.

While Yemen is committed to women’s participation in decision-making, said that country’s delegate, the Houthi militia continues "flagrant violations of international humanitarian law", using sexual violence to "terrorize and oppress Yemeni women", alongside kidnappings and torture. Accordingly, he urged the international community to intensify pressure to "immediately and unconditionally free all detainees" and to maintain sanctions as a vital tool for accountability.

Survivor-Centred Approach

Calling for a survivor-centred approach, the Republic of Korea’s speaker noted conflict-related sexual violence causes lasting physical, psychological and social harm, with survivors often facing stigma and exclusion. In Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, women who had been in detention continued to face rejection from their families and communities, he said, urging psychosocial support, reintegration and the meaningful participation of survivors in decision-making.

Picking up that thread, Colombia’s representative underscored the need for a holistic victim-focused approach, incorporating medical and psychosocial support, access to justice, legal advice, the reduction of stigmatization, and reintegration. Also, it is pivotal to invest in education as a protective measure for girls and boys who are born as a result of rape.

For her part, Guyana’s speaker urged the Council to treat sexual violence as a stand-alone sanctions criterion, strengthen monitoring and ensure the deployment of Women’s Protection Advisers, even in mission drawdowns. Amid normalized impunity, she stressed: "Accountability is perhaps the greatest deterrent."