(Arabic translation below)
Sudan has been one of the most perilous countries for children, even before the outbreak of the current conflict. Despite being among the first nations to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991 and to incorporate its provisions into domestic laws and policies, successive Sudanese governments have failed to invest in the implementation of child protection. Sudan also ratified the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child in 2005. Unfortunately, Sudanese personal status laws continue to legitimize sexual violence against girls, including the child, early and forced marriage of girls as young as ten years old. Legal protection for the girl child remains virtually nonexistent, depriving them of the opportunity to grow up in safety.
Since the outbreak of war in Sudan on April 15, 2023, there has been a devastating rise in conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), with women, girls, and children being brutally targeted without fear of punishment or accountability. Through our ongoing documentation of these crimes, SIHA Network has identified that 23.15% of CRSV cases involve girls, highlighting the horrific reality they face in Sudan amid this conflict. Furthermore, SIHA has recorded numerous instances of sexual violence against boys, and we believe that many more atrocities committed against children remain unreported.
The widespread violations against children in Sudan call for immediate intervention and the creation of effective protection mechanisms. This ecosystem must involve local authorities, child protection systems, social workers, the judiciary, police, Sudanese civil society organizations, and the regional and international community. However, the absence of sufficient protection tools and resources leaves these vulnerable children exposed to the horrors of war, institutional gaps, a lack of services, and systemic impunity, further entrenching the dire situation on the ground.
Below, we highlight some recent cases of violence in drawing attention to the severe risks faced by children in Sudan.
El-Gezira State
Since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) entered El-Gezira State, girl children have endured unprecedented violence, including abduction, sexual violence, forced marriage, and pregnancies resulting from rape.
On December 20, 2024, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a devastating attack on the family of a 13-year-old girl, identified as “F,” in El-Gezira State. The RSF demanded money and gold, but when F’s father explained they had none, the militants opened fire, killing him and critically injuring F with a bullet to the chest. The RSF then abducted F and her older sister, subjecting them to rape before releasing them in exchange for a ransom payment. As F’s condition deteriorated and medical treatment became scarce in El-Gezira, her family embarked on a perilous journey to Shandi, River Nile Region, in search of aid. Tragically, F succumbed to her injuries en route.
On February 2, 2025, SIHA documented 7 cases of girls aged 6 to 15 among a larger group of children, including boys, who were released from Wad Madani prison after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) entered the city. According to their testimonies, they had been held in a detention center in Al-Zamalek neighborhood, where they were forced to serve RSF members before being transferred to Wad Madani prison. They were accused of collaborating with the SAF. One girl testified that her sister was killed after being raped in detention. The girls were abducted from areas including Rufaa, Maringan, and Al-Hasaheisa. SIHA located them through humanitarian volunteers in Wad Madani, alongside several boys.
This is not an isolated incident. The RSF’s presence in Gezira has exposed many to sexual violence, with multiple reports of women and girls being raped in areas like Rufa’a Town and Wad Madani. The international community must intervene to safeguard civilians, particularly women and girls, from these heinous abuses.
Central Darfur – Zalingei
On January 31, 2025, tragedy struck in Western Zalingei, when a teacher (“A”) was killed, and his wife and two daughters, aged 11 and 16, were raped. According to the mother’s testimony, these atrocities were committed by over 10 RSF members who stormed their home. The family’s ordeal was further compounded by the looting of their property, leaving the 11-year-old girl in critical condition due to severe bleeding. The lack of adequate healthcare services in Zalingei has worsened her situation.
South Kordofan
The situation in South Kordofan is dire, with reports of child abductions, rape, and assault. In December 2024, 3 siblings, aged 6 to 12, were abducted by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) while collecting wild fruits in Silgi village. They were held for six days, raped, and then released after local mediation efforts. The RSF even filmed a video of their return, which is a disturbing detail.
Furthermore, on January 10, 2025, a 13-year-old boy was assaulted while collecting wild fruits in Hajr Al-Jawad, an area controlled by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N). According to his testimony, he was raped at gunpoint by an SPLM-N soldier. These incidents highlight the vulnerability of children in conflict zones and the need for urgent action to protect them.
Our Call to Action
As demonstrated above, children in Sudan are subjected to unbearable horrors, with their bodies and lives violated in a total absence of protection. Girls in particular, suffer fatal physical injuries, such as severe bleeding and life-threatening infections. In the absence of healthcare, many die in silence, while survivors are left to endure deep psychological and physical scars.
We urgently call upon the international community, national social protection institutions, and Sudanese civil society to recognize this escalating crisis and to respond to the violations faced by boys and girls in Sudan. This response must include the immediate establishment of an interim protection system for children in urgent need, advocating for their rights, consistently publicizing and condemning the violations they endure, exposing perpetrators, and demanding justice and accountability.
We call upon the United Nations and the donor community to enhance the capabilities and resources dedicated to protecting Sudanese children affected by the war. This should include providing support for psychological and healthcare services, especially for unaccompanied children or those that have been subjected to various forms of violations, as well as ensuring access to education and other essential services.
At SIHA Network, in alignment with our goals and mandate, we are committed to working with women and girls. However, we recognize that our work will not be complete without advocating for the presence of civil and humanitarian institutions that also focus on boys. We have observed a significant gap in support for boys in Sudan and providing them with protection. This leaves them vulnerable to various forms of violence, exploitation, child soldier recruitment, and numerous other violations.
The challenges affecting children should always be at the core of peace and justice efforts. Ignoring them paves the way for a broken generation, and sets the stage for future war and instability.
“We owe our children – the most vulnerable citizens in any society – a life free from violence and fear” – Nelson Mandela
#SaveSudanChildren #To_Build_Her_Life_Safely
بيان صحفي/ في مرمى العنف: التأثير المروّع للنزاع على الطفلات والأطفال في السودان
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