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A shocking report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that children as young as one year old have been subjected to rape and sexual assault during Sudan’s ongoing civil war.
The report, released on March 4, 2025, provides harrowing details of mass sexual violence being used as a weapon of war, with boys accounting for a third of the victims.
Since the beginning of 2024, 221 child rape cases have been officially reported, but UNICEF warns that the actual numbers are likely much higher due to societal stigma and fear of retribution from armed groups.
Perhaps the most shocking revelation in the report is that 16 victims were under the age of five, including four infants.
While UNICEF did not specify the perpetrators, UN investigations have previously linked the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to systematic sexual violence. Reports indicate that RSF fighters target black African victims in Darfur to intimidate and displace communities.
The RSF, currently engaged in a war against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), has denied any wrongdoing.
The war has displaced millions, leaving women and children more vulnerable. Three out of four school-age girls are out of school, increasing their exposure to violence.
The UN’s Sudan Humanitarian Fund remains underfunded, with recent US aid cuts further limiting access to medical care and survivor support. Local women-led organizations, which play a crucial role in aiding victims, receive less than 2% of total humanitarian funding.
Sudanese human rights defender Sulaima Elkhalifa described the dire situation, stating that rape survivors do not even have the luxury of being depressed, as they are forced to focus on survival amid war and displacement.
