Women and girls in the midst of the brutal conflict between rival militaries in Sudan are being disproportionately impacted, including 5.8 million who are now displaced, according to an alert released by UN Women on Friday.
The need for gender-based violence-related services has increased 100 per cent since the crisis began in April 2023, the UN agency championing gender affairs reported, with up to 6.7 million people needing assistance by the end of last year.
Cases of conflict-related sexual violence, sexual exploitation, and abuse have been growing since then, especially in Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan.
Many cases of abuse perpetrated against displaced women and girls go unreported due to a fear of stigma from other community members and inadequate support.
Insufficient food and healthcare
With cases of acute food insecurity and abuse now at a record high in war-torn Sudan, female-headed households are being more affected than male-headed households.
Additionally, 1.63 million women of reproductive age lack access to adequate healthcare services, even though around 54,000 childbirths are expected over the next three months.
The alert explained that "women and girls also continue to be disproportionately impacted by the lack of safe, easily accessible, and affordable water, sanitation, and hygiene."
"At least 80 per cent of the internally displaced women are unable to secure clean water due to affordability, safety concerns, and distance," it continued.
