UN reports sharp rise in conflict-related sexual violence in 2024

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The conflict-related sexual violence rose sharply in 2024, with over 4,600 survivors having endured abuses used as a tactic of war, torture, terrorism and political repression, according to a UN report released on Thursday.

The figure represented a 25 percent increase from the previous year, according to the 16th annual Report of the UN Secretary-General on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, which covered 21 countries for which information verified by the United Nations was available.

While these alarming figures do not reflect the global scale and prevalence of these crimes, the report conveys the severity and brutality of this scourge, with the highest number of cases recorded in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Somalia and South Sudan, said the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict in a press release.

Women constituted the overwhelming majority of victims (92 percent), but girls, men, and boys were also among the victims.

Despite mounting needs, humanitarian access was severely curtailed and/or blocked by parties to conflict, the report noted.

The report called for sustainable funding through the United Nations' Multi-Partner Trust Fund on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, and the deployment of Women's Protection Advisers in all relevant situations of concern, in line with UN Security Council resolution 2467 (2019).

The report urged all parties to conflict to put in place specific measures to prevent sexual violence, as explicitly outlined in Security Council resolution 2467, including issuing clear orders and granting unimpeded UN access for monitoring and provision of services. ■