Sudan's Sexual Abuse Crisis: Children Among the Victims.

In the ongoing conflict in Sudan, children as young as one year old are among the victims of sexual violence, with armed groups committing these heinous acts as part of the war, according to UNICEF. This widespread sexual abuse has been systematically used as a weapon of war in the nearly two-year-long civil war.

Alarmingly, one-third of the victims are boys, who face additional barriers in reporting such crimes and seeking necessary support. UNICEF has reported 221 officially documented cases of child rape since the beginning of 2024, though the true number is likely far higher. 

Sudan, a conservative society, further complicates matters, with many survivors and their families afraid to speak out about these horrific crimes due to the threat of retaliation from armed factions.

UNICEF has revealed that 16 survivors of sexual violence were under five years old, including four infants. While the organization does not name the perpetrators, other United Nations investigations have pointed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militants, who are accused of using sexual violence as a tool to intimidate civilians and suppress opposition to their movement.

The RSF, which is fighting alongside the Sudanese military against their former allies, denies any involvement in such crimes. However, according to international human rights organizations, victims in RSF-controlled areas of Darfur are often targeted due to their African descent, as part of a broader ethnic cleansing campaign.

A disturbing account of these atrocities comes from Omnia (a pseudonym), a woman who survived being held captive by armed men along with other women and girls.

"At around 9 PM, a man opened the door holding a whip, selected one girl, and took her to another room. I heard the young girl crying and screaming. They were raping her," Omnia recounted. "Each time they raped her, she came back covered in blood. She was just a little child. They release these girls at dawn, and they return in a state of confusion. They are all crying, talking incoherently. During the 19 days I was held, I reached a point where I wanted to end my life."

The large number of displaced people fleeing their homes due to the violence has left women and children even more vulnerable to attacks. The United Nations also reports that three out of four school-aged girls are not attending school due to the ongoing war.