MADRID, 14 (EUROPA PRESS)
Sexual violence in armed conflict increased by 25 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to the annual report published Thursday by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who warns that the highest number of cases occurred in several African countries.
The UN has noted that state and non-state actors have perpetrated sexual violence as a tactic of war, torture, terrorism, and political repression against more than 4,600 survivors, despite the fact that "these alarming figures do not reflect the global scale and prevalence of these crimes."
However, it considered that this report – which covers 21 countries for which verified information is available – "highlights the seriousness and brutality of this scourge, with the highest number of cases recorded in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Haiti, Somalia, and South Sudan.
Victims include women, girls, men, boys, people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, racial and ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities, ranging in age from one to 75. However, the majority of victims (92 percent) are women.
In many cases, extreme physical violence has accompanied sexual assaults, with reports of summary executions following rape. Furthermore, the entrenched stigma has resulted in socioeconomic exclusion and impoverishment for survivors and their children, many of whom were born as a result of rape.
Non-state armed groups have used sexual violence to consolidate control over territories and natural resources and to perpetuate extremist ideologies. The proliferation and widespread availability of small arms and light weapons have continued to fuel sexual violence in most contexts.
On the other hand, mass displacement and food insecurity have exposed women and girls to a greater risk of sexual violence, while kidnappings and human trafficking during conflicts for the purposes of slavery and sexual exploitation have also increased.
The international organization lamented that in many cases, victims have been unable to access healthcare professionals within 72 hours of the rape. As a result, survivors, particularly women and girls, face devastating health consequences and are unable to access sexual and reproductive healthcare, mental health care, legal assistance, or livelihood support.
