8 March 2024
In observance of International Women's Day, March 8, 2024, Fikra for Studies and Development publishes its research report on conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan during the civil war that has been ongoing since April 15, 2023.
Fikra for Studies and Development report, entitled Unbreakable: Sudanese Women’s Struggle Against Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, analyzes the horrific atrocities committed against Sudanese women during this war, which is approaching its first-year anniversary. The past months have witnessed the commission of a systematic series of atrocities against civilians, including mass murder, forced displacement, looting, robbery, detention, torture, and forced disappearance. But sexual violence has been practiced against women and girls in particular as a tool of war aimed at breaking victims and subjugating and controlling societies. This type of violation was also employed as a motivator for fighting, as well as a method of attracting and recruiting mercenaries.
The report analyzes the various patterns of sexual violence that were committed during the ongoing war and addresses the issue of impunity and the factors that allow it in the current Sudanese context, including the discourse of political and diplomatic actors regarding these violations.
This report reviews the obstacles that limit access to victims and limit the chances of safe reporting, documentation, and accurate revelation of the overall picture of violations. These are the same factors that contribute to the limited access of victims to the necessary treatment and care. The report also provides a statistical analytic example of the number of cases that the Strategic Network for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) was able to document individually in the period between April 15 and December 31, 2023, which amounted to 117 cases. While there were other cases that were reported and documented by other organizations and groups, including the Unit for Combating Violence against Women, SORD Organization, the African Center for Justice and Peace Studies, the Sudanese Observatory for Human Rights, various emergency rooms, and other groups working in the field, but we were not able to fully obtain their data to be included in the analysis.
Moreover, this report examines the obstacles that service providers and survivors alike encounter when attempting to secure medical treatment and psychological assistance. Additionally, it delves into the legal gaps and challenges that survivors encounter within the framework of Sudan's current criminal legislation. Lastly, it explores potential ways for survivors to document the violations to which they have been subjected and obtain suitable care.
At the conclusion of the report, we review the practical recommendations that came from the discussions that took place at
the Sudan Humanitarian Crisis Conference 2023, which was held in Cairo in November 2023 with broad grassroots participation. These recommendations include the areas of medical care, receiving social and psychological support, and the legal aspect.
It is with immense honor at Fikra for Studies and Development to present this report, which features forewords authored by two renowned Sudanese and international feminist activists: Ustaza Fahima Hashim, an esteemed Sudanese scholar and women rights defender, and Ms. Reem Al-Salem, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls.
On International Women's Day, we send our warm regards and respect to the women of Sudan for their incredible resilience during these turbulent times for our nation. They have not been broken, and they will not be broken, as they remain unyielding, guiding our people to endure, confront, stand strong, and resist.
