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A new United Nations report has revealed a sharp rise in sexual violence linked to armed conflicts, highlighting alarming trends in several crisis-hit countries. According to the report, documented cases in 2024 increased by 25% compared to the previous year, underscoring the growing scale and severity of the problem.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the highest numbers of incidents were recorded in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Haiti, Somalia, and South Sudan. These countries have all been plagued by ongoing armed conflicts, where civilians, particularly women and children, are often targeted.
The report’s annex lists 63 state and non-state armed groups credibly accused of committing or being responsible for widespread patterns of rape and other sexual crimes in conflict situations. The Security Council is expected to examine the findings as part of its ongoing discussions on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.
The DRC continues to face some of the most severe levels of conflict-related sexual violence worldwide. In the Kivu provinces alone, health workers treated more than 17,000 survivors in just five months of 2024, according to the UN’s findings. Much of this violence occurred during clashes between government forces and the M23 rebel group, which intensified fighting across the region.
Reported abuses include rape, gang rape, and sexual slavery, crimes that often coincide with mass displacement, looting, and destruction of property. Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that these acts are being used deliberately as weapons of war to terrorize and control communities.
In Somalia, decades of instability, combined with insurgent activity and clan-based violence, have left large swathes of the country vulnerable to systematic abuses. The report notes that survivors often face not only physical and psychological trauma but also severe stigma and a lack of access to justice or medical care.
Similar patterns were documented in the Central African Republic, Haiti, and South Sudan, where fragile security situations have allowed armed groups to commit atrocities with limited accountability.
The UN has urged governments and international partners to take immediate steps to strengthen legal protections, expand survivor support services, and hold perpetrators accountable. The report also stresses the importance of integrating sexual violence prevention into peace negotiations, security sector reforms, and post-conflict recovery programs.
“Ending conflict-related sexual violence is not only a moral imperative but a central requirement for lasting peace,” Dujarric emphasized.
As global conflicts continue to evolve, the UN warns that without decisive action, the number of survivors in future reports could rise even further, deepening the humanitarian and societal scars already left by these atrocities.