UN Security Council Briefing: Surge in Sexual Violence in Conflict Cases

Alarming Rise in Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

• 📈 Conflict-related sexual violence cases documented in 2024 surged by a staggering 25% compared to 2023, which itself saw a 50% increase.
• ⚠️ These acts are used as a tactic of war, torture, terror, and political repression, with women and girls accounting for 92% of verified cases.
• 👧 Sexual violence against children increased by a shocking 35%, with a dramatic rise in gang-rape incidents.

Funding Crisis for Survivors and Aid Organizations

• 💔 Humanitarian assistance is being slashed while military expenditure soars, creating a critical funding gap for lifesaving aid.
• 🆘 Women's frontline organizations are moving from underfunded to unfunded, hindering their ability to support survivors.
• 🌍 The world spends significantly more on arms annually than on addressing gender-based violence in conflict.

Widespread Impact and Underreporting

• 🌍 The report now spans 21 situations of concern, with high case numbers in the Central African Republic, DRC, Haiti, Somalia, and South Sudan.
• 🤫 Survivors often remain silent due to stigma and fear of retaliation, meaning documented cases are a significant undercount.
• 🏥 Attacks on health providers and facilities serving survivors of sexual violence are also reported.

Key Trends and Challenges

• 🏕️ Displaced and refugee women and girls face heightened risks of sexual violence.
• 🚫 Food insecurity and curtailed humanitarian access increase exposure to sexual violence and exploitation.
• 📉 Accelerated drawdowns of UN peace operations diminish the capacity to support survivors.
• 🔗 Non-state armed groups use sexual violence to consolidate control, recruit fighters, and fuel criminal networks.
• 🔫 The proliferation of small arms and light weapons fuels conflict-related sexual violence, with firearms used in 70-90% of recorded cases.

Calls for Accountability and Sustained Support

• ⚖️ There is an urgent call for accountability and an end to impunity for sexual and gender-based violence.
• 💰 Sustained, flexible, and predictable funding for victim and survivor-centered responses is crucial, including through a multi-partner Trust Fund.
• ✊ The international community must uphold its values and hold perpetrators accountable, reinforcing the rule of law.
• ✨ Despite immense challenges, there is hope in the resilience of survivors and activists, and the need to fortify their efforts.