By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UNICEF on Tuesday warned that as conflict rages across Sudan, armed men are raping and sexually assaulting children, including some infants as young as one.
According to the data from gender-based violence service providers in Sudan revealed the scale of the horror: over 220 reported cases of child rape since the start of 2024.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. Said “Children as young as one being raped by armed men should shock anyone to their core and compel immediate action,”
The figures only scratch the surface, as survivors and their families often remain silent due to stigma, lack of services and fear of retribution from armed groups.
Sexual violence is being weaponized in Sudan’s conflict, putting millions of children at risk, the agency reported.
The brutal reality of this violence, and the fear of falling victim to it, is pushing women and girls to leave their homes and families, only to face further dangers.
UNICEF reported that girls often end up in informal displacement sites with scarce resources, where the risk of sexual violence is high. Of the reported child rape survivors, 66 per cent are girls.
The boys face their own difficulties. With deep-seated stigma, reported sexual assault presents its challenges, making it harder to seek help and access services.
Some 16 of the survivors were under five years old, including four one-year-olds, UNICEF said
“This is an abhorrent violation of international law and could constitute a war crime,” Ms. Russell underscored. “It must stop.”
UNICEF is working with partners to establish safe spaces that provide gender-based violence services for survivors.
The agency is training frontline workers, including social workers and psychologists to provide community-based services across Sudan as well as address harmful social norms and practices.
UNICEF has called on all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international aw, protect civilians – children and ensure humanitarian workers can safely deliver aid.
The agency emphasized that stronger data systems are deemed critical, both to improve the humanitarian response and to hold perpetrators accountable.
“Widespread sexual violence in Sudan has instilled terror in people, especially children,” Ms. Russell warned. “These scars of war are immeasurable and long-lasting.”
She added that without urgent action, Sudan’s sexual violence crisis will only deepen, leaving a lasting and devastating legacy.
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