UN Warns of Rising Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, briefs the Security Council during the meeting on women, peace and security.

Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, briefed the Security Council’s open debate on conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) on Tuesday, presenting the Secretary-General’s annual report and stressing the need to support survivors in conflict zones where services are increasingly inaccessible.

The crisis of CRSV is deepening, reflecting the widening scope of warfare globally. There were more than 4,600 reported cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2024, marking a 25 per cent increase from 2023. Ms. Patten underscored that this data is a chronic undercount, reflecting only cases verified by the UN.

Amid a general rise in CRSV, sexual violence against children increased by a disturbing 35 per cent in the past year, with victims as young as one year old.

The report spans 21 situations of concern, with the highest number of cases recorded in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Haiti, Somalia, and South Sudan.

Additionally, of the parties credibly suspected of committing or permitting CRSV, there are new listings in the DRC, Libya, and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

This crisis disproportionately impacts women and girls, who consistently account for over 90 per cent of verified cases, such as the 92 per cent reported this year.

Outside of the numbers, Ms. Patten explained several concerning trends seen in the report.

Firstly, displaced and refugee women and girls are exposed to heightened risks of sexual violence, which inhibit their safe return.

Food insecurity also heightens the risk of sexual violence as belligerent parties restrict humanitarian access.

Additionally, armed groups use sexual violence to consolidate control over territory and natural resources and to incentivise the recruitment of fighters.

Notably, CRSV also persists in formal and informal detention settings worldwide.

Finally, as funding cuts cause UN peace operations to draw down, the capacity of the UN system to reach and support CRSV survivors has greatly diminished.

As global military spending in just 24 hours exceeds what is allocated in a year to address CRSV, and needs continue to rise, Ms. Patten stressed that “women’s frontline organisations are going from underfunded to unfunded.”

Outside of UN peacekeeping missions decreasing their capacities, funding cuts have caused shelters for survivors to close, medical supplies for rape victims to run out, and clinics to shutter worldwide.

In major conflict hotspots such as Sudan, Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Gaza, where healthcare systems have been decimated, humanitarian organisations are “forced to do more and more with less and less and less.”

“If we are serious about peace, we must fund the institutions that make peace possible. If we are serious about security, we must reaffirm the Rule of Law, and hold accountable those who commit, command, or condone grave violations, including the atrocity crime of conflict-related sexual violence,” she urged.

Ms. Patten said her mandate pursues three lines of response: fostering compliance, enhancing service delivery, and strengthening safeguards against impunity.

In enhancing delivery, she highlighted that the inter-agency network entitled UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict, which she chairs, has been “truly transformative” in its response through advocacy, knowledge-building, and joint operations in the field, reaching thousands of survivors across 18 conflict areas.

As the demand for services outweighs the supply of resources, she concluded: “Any failure to sustain investment, any backtracking on established norms, or any unraveling of the existing architecture, would not only betray the survivors, but further embolden the perpetrators.”