Human Rights Group: "Even 9-Year-Olds Raped and Forced into Marriage... Women in Sudan Are Virtually 'Sex Slaves'"

A report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) revealed that in war-torn Sudan, women under the age of 60, including a 9-year-old girl who was raped, are in a state virtually equivalent to sexual slavery. Occasionally, men and boys were also confirmed as victims of sexual violence.

[Image source= Xinhua News Agency]

The international human rights organization HRW stated in a report titled "Khartoum Is Not Safe for Women: Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls in Sudan's Capital," released on the 28th (local time), that armed groups involved in the Sudanese civil war are committing widespread sexual violence in Khartoum, the capital region under their control.

The report includes testimonies from 42 individuals, including medical workers, regarding sexual violence and forced and child marriages committed against women aged 9 to 60 in Khartoum and nearby Omdurman since the civil war broke out in April last year between the Sudanese government forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Medical workers confirmed that they treated at least 262 victims of sexual violence from the start of the civil war until February of this year. However, this is only a portion of the total victims, with most presumed not to have received any treatment.

Some cases detailed in the report show that the RSF abducted women and girls from streets, homes, and workplaces, detained them in other facilities, and subjected them to sexual violence. This sometimes occurred in groups over several days in the presence of family members. Additionally, women and girls were forced into marriages, including child marriages.

The report also includes accounts of situations amounting to "sexual slavery." Women who were forcibly impregnated had almost no access to abortion treatment and faced the risk of further violence. HRW reported that some were even abandoned by their families. A woman in her twenties told HRW, "Because of the fear of raids leading to rape, I slept for months with a knife under my pillow," adding, "Since the civil war began, women living in Khartoum are no longer safe." Among the victims of sexual violence were adult men and boys as well.

HRW expressed grave concern over the enormous physical, emotional, social, and psychological scars left on the victims. The report stated that at least four women died from physical injuries caused by rape, and most surviving victims exhibited symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including suicidal thoughts, anxiety, insomnia, and depression. One medical worker recounted that when speaking with a sexual violence survivor, she was trembling from trauma and said, "If my family finds out about my situation, they will kill me."

HRW pointed out that there are reports of government forces also participating in sexual violence, noting a rise in reports of such acts by government troops who took control of Omdurman earlier this year. Furthermore, the armed groups are criticized for targeting volunteers providing emergency medical aid as victims of sexual violence.

HRW strongly condemned these acts as war crimes and crimes against humanity, urging the African Union (AU) and the United Nations for urgent deployment to protect civilians. They added that this includes prevention of gender-based violence, support for comprehensive services for all survivors, and documentation of sexual violence related to the civil war.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.