Statement from UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict

Women rarely start wars but often suffer most from them – driven from their homes, separated from their families, deprived of livelihoods and subjected to violence. Their bodies should never be battlegrounds, yet they become so when sexual violence is deliberately used during conflicts to further terrorize them and their communities. 

Amid the surge in conflicts around the world, cases of conflict-related sexual violence have reached horrifying new heights, soaring 50 per cent between 2022 to 2023. Women and girls are being assaulted and raped, forced into marriage and sexual slavery. Then they are left to cope with dire consequences that can last a lifetime, including post-traumatic stress, sexually transmitted infections, social stigma and isolation, physical injury and unwanted pregnancies.

Most cases of sexual violence are perpetrated against women. One third involve girls. Women defending human rights and providing front-line services have been increasingly targeted.

Sexual violence in conflict is a war crime, one that silences voices pleading for peace. That silence only deepens when those who speak out against rampant violations receive little support. 

Tragically, the vast majority of conflict-related sexual violence cases will go unreported, and fewer still will be prosecuted. A large share of perpetrators will remain free, perpetuating impunity. Meanwhile, survivors are too often left with scant resources to heal their bodies and minds, especially where deliberate attacks on health facilities have left communities bereft of life-saving services.

Every woman and girl in every conflict deserves protection, and – where that falters – quality care and swift access to justice. In 2023, UNFPA provided safety from gender-based violence for some six million people in 50 countries affected by crisis. Over 1,800 safe spaces offered women and girls an emotional and physical refuge.

Together, we must do more. We must scale up services to meet the needs and safeguard the rights of even more survivors. To do so, it is critical to close the vast funding gap that stands in the way of progress. Right now, less than 15 percent of the funds needed for essential prevention and protection services are available to respond to gender-based violence in crises.

Women and girls know the solutions that work best for themselves and their communities. We need their representation in peace and political processes before, during and after conflict. Their leadership and meaningful participation can steer humanitarian decision-making to reduce and ultimately end sexual violence in war. This is a principle that UNFPA advocates and practices as a leading front-line responder to gender-based violence in humanitarian settings. 

Lasting peace will only be possible when we silence guns instead of survivors of sexual violence, and when we create a world where women and girls can speak their truth and live in dignity and safety.