Infants as Young As One Year Being Raped In Sudan, Says UNICEF

As the Sudan war nears its second anniversary, a new UNICEF report says armed men are raping and sexually assaulting children, including infants as young as one, amid the nationwide conflict rippling across Sudan.

Data compiled by gender-based violence service providers in Sudan paint a searing picture of the crisis children are being subjected to; 221 rape cases against children were recorded since the beginning of 2024.

These figures represent only a small fraction of total cases. Survivors and their families are often unwilling or unable to come forward due to challenges accessing services, frontline workers, fear of the stigma they could face, the fear of rejection from their family or community, the fear of retribution from armed groups or fear of confidentiality breaches.

“Children as young as one being raped by armed men should shock anyone to their core and compel immediate action,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

“Millions of children in Sudan are at risk of rape and other forms of sexual violence, which is being used as a tactic of war. This is an abhorrent violation of international law and could constitute a war crime. It must stop.”

Of the reported 221 child rape survivors, 147 children, or 66 per cent, are girls. That 33 per cent of the survivors are boys is also notable as they too may face stigma and unique challenges in reporting, seeking help, and accessing services. Shockingly, there are 16 survivors under 5 years of age, including four one-year olds.

The cases were reported in nine states in Sudan, from south to north and east to west. There were an additional 77 reported cases of sexual assault against children, primarily attempted rape cases.

The brutal reality of this violence, and the fear of falling victim to it, are pushing women and girls to leave their homes and families and flee to other cities where they often end up in informal displacement sites or communities with scarce resources. The risk of sexual violence is also high within these communities, especially against children who have been internally displaced.

The fighting broke out in Khartoum on April 15, 2023, as an escalating power struggle between the two main factions of the military regime finally turned deadly.

On one side are the Sudanese armed forces who remain broadly loyal to Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country’s de facto ruler. Against him are the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a collection of militias who follow the former warlord General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The war is estimated to have killed more than 28,000 people.