On the 14th, UN agencies released a report showing a significant increase in incidents of sexual violence in global conflict areas in 2024, with more than 4,600 people becoming victims—a year-on-year increase of 25%.
This annual report was issued by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and covers 21 countries.
The report indicates that the problem of sexual violence is most severe in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Somalia, and South Sudan. Among the victims, women account for 92%.
The report points out that, in both formal and informal detention facilities, sexual violence is often used as a tool for torture, humiliation, and coercion; non-state armed groups use sexual violence to reinforce their control over land and natural resources and to spread extremist ideology; the widespread proliferation of small and light weapons has fueled sexual violence; displacement and food insecurity have placed women and girls at greater risk of sexual violence; terrorist groups kidnap and traffic people for the purposes of sexual slavery and exploitation.
The report recommends that the United Nations Security Council sanctions committees continuously review the issue of sexual violence crimes and impose targeted sanctions on persistent offenders.
The report also urges all parties to conflict to take concrete measures to prevent sexual violence incidents, including issuing explicit orders, ensuring accountability, and allowing UN personnel unimpeded access to conflict areas for monitoring and providing assistance.