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STORY: UNICEF / SUDAN CHILDREN SURVIVORS OF RAPE
TRT: 02:06
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: CREDIT UNICEF ON SCREEN
LANGUAGES: ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: VARIOUS, SEE THE SHOTLIST
8 DECEMBER 2024, RIVER NILE STATE, SUDAN
1. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Adan (name changed) Malak’s mother, mother of a survivor:
“My daughter Malak (name changed) was sexually assaulted, it wasn't a completed rape, but it was an attempted one, on August 28th. The boy who did that is our neighbor. He took her to a farm in a remote area. He tried to rape her using a firearm, but someone passed by and saw what was happening, he intervened and beat the boy. He struck him with the firearm and brought the girl back.”
2. Various shots, Malak (name changed), her mother, and siblings are displaced from Khartoum
Malak is a survivor of sexual harassment by a 21-year-old man.
10 DECEMBER 2024, NORTHERN STATE, SUDAN
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Omnia (name changed):
“After nine at night, someone opens the door, carrying a whip, selects one of the girls, and takes her to another room. I could hear the little girl crying and screaming. They were raping her. Every time they raped her; this girl would come back covered in blood. She is still just a young child. They only release these girls at the morning.”
4. Various shots, displaced from Khartoum, Omnia (name changed) a mother, and her children have sought refuge in Dongola
While she remains safe, she lives with the trauma from the kidnap and rape by soldiers while in Khartoum. To support her healing, she is receiving mental health and psychosocial support from a women’s organization.
12 DECEMBER 2024, AHMED GASIM GATHERING AREA, DONGOLA, SUDAN
5. Various shots, UNICEF and partners are providing an integrated package of water, sanitation, hygiene, education, and child protection services through the newly established Makanna ‘My Space' to benefit children
04 FEBRUARY 2024, DARFUR, SUDAN
6. Various shots, destroyed homes and facilities in Darfur, west of Sudan
In Sudan, more than 70 per cent of hospitals in conflict-affected areas are currently non-operational due to damage, destruction, a lack of supplies, or from being used as shelters or for other purposes.
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 and 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.
*Data note: While the sample size of the data is not extensive, the data provides a helpful glimpse into the significant risks facing women and children. It also illustrates the critical need for additional investment in survivor-centred response services and safe, ethical systems for protecting survivor data.
