More than 200 children, some as young as one, raped in Sudan, UNICEF says

The UN Children’s Fund reports that children in Sudan have been raped since the beginning of 2024, some as young as a year old.

At least 221 boys, including boys, were raped by armed men, according to records compiled by gender-based violence service providers in the North African nation, according to a report released on Tuesday.

Surviving percentage of those cases were boys, with the remaining 66 percent being girls. Four survivors, all as young as one, were under the age of five.

In addition to the reported 77 sexual assaults on children, the majority of which were attempted rape, UNICEF has identified.

The military and its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces fought in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan in April 2023, sparking conflict there.

At least 20, 000 people have died since then, a figure that is likely much higher. More than 14 million people have been displaced from their homes as a result of the war, which also caused famine in some areas.

Rape is used as a “war tactic”

Rights groups claim that both sides have committed atrocities, including forced child marriages and sexual assault. Since the start of the war, an estimated 61,800 children have been internally displaced, according to UNICEF.

The organization received reports of alleged child rape cases from attacks on cities.

In violation of international law and laws protecting children, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stated in the report that sexual violence, including rape, is “being used as a tactic of war.”

The states of Gadarif, Kassala, Gezeira, Khartoum, River Nile, Northern State, South Kordofan, North Darfur, and West Darfur all reported rape cases.

A boy was raped at gunpoint in South Kordofan, and several children, including a six-year-old, were also raped. They were all picking fruit at once.

The fact that this organization came forward tells us that it is only a small sample, according to UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram, who spoke to The Associated Press news agency.

“The iceberg of the hundreds of more children who have been raped is only the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

Ingram, who was in Sudan in December, claimed she had encountered victims who had endured “ignorant horrors that no one would want to experience in their lifetime,” and that their suffering continued even after those horrors.

According to Ingram, many of the victims suffered physical wounds and “serious psychological scars,” with some even making suicide attempts.

Due to social stigma, fear of retribution from armed groups, and family rejection, survivors are frequently reluctant to report having experienced sexual violence.

UNICEF urged the Sudanese government and all parties involved in the conflict to uphold their obligations to protect civilians, particularly children, while those providing services to survivors must also be protected.