Children bear the brunt of violence in Sudan’s brutal civil war, report says

John Yang:

This week, the head of the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, told global leaders Sudan's humanitarian crisis is the world's biggest and most devastating. A new UNICEF report says 30 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, more than half of them children. Many of them face threats of violence and sexual assault on a daily basis.

The report also says that in fewer than two years of conflict, the number of people at risk of gender based violence has more than tripled to more than 12 million people, or 25 percent of the population. Ali Rogin spoke with UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram, who recently traveled to Sudan.

Ali Rogin:

Thank you so much for joining us. Tess, what are the major findings from this report?

Tess Ingram, Spokesperson, UNICEF:

This report tells us that we're facing a very serious situation in Sudan with sexual violence. It is being used as a weapon of war to instill fear in communities. The data that we got from service providers in Sudan shows that there have been 221 cases of rape perpetrated against children since the beginning of 2024.

And if that alone isn't shocking, it tells us that there are really young children in that cohort as young as one year old. And the cases of rape are being perpetrated right across the country. This is not an isolated incident. It is widespread terror being waged across Sudan.

Ali Rogin:

To what extent is the civil war fueling this sexual violence?

Tess Ingram:

We know that sexual violence existed, including being perpetrated against children in Sudan before this conflict. But we've seen it resurge again, and we've seen it happen in a number of different scenarios of armed men as they come into a city, taking young girls from their families and holding them against their will. We've seen families fleeing that fear of that violence and death, only to find themselves apprehended or put in harm's way.

And again, when people get to places that they think are safe, they are not safe, the violence follows them. And that is consistent in many locations across the country of Sudan right until today.

Ali Rogin:

We have a sound bite from a victim that you interviewed on the ground. We're calling her Omnia. And she talked to you about what she witnessed while she was abducted and held and mistreated by armed groups. That included witnessing acts of sexual violence. Take a listen.

Omnia, Human Rights Worker (through interpreter):

I endured this suffering and torment for 19 days. Throughout the 19 days, there were daily rapes. Every day there were rapes. Every day there was a crime. During those 19 days, I lived in hell. These people are not human beings. They subjected us to insults, humiliation, fear, terror and starvation.

Ali Rogin:

Is that similar to other stories that you've heard throughout the region?

Tess Ingram:

I spent two weeks in Sudan spending time with these incredibly brave survivors. I think it's important for us to understand the culture in Sudan blames the survivor and not the perpetrator for the sexual violence. And so they live with a tremendous amount of social stigma and fear of retribution. So it's incredibly brave for these survivors to speak.

And, yes, I interviewed dozens over two weeks, hearing their stories about their experiences. But the consistent part was, in most cases, these are children. They are young women who were trying to survive an awful, violent conflict only to be raped and in many cases, physically beaten, threatened. They had loved ones killed in front of them. The youngest survivor I interviewed was five years old. This should not happen to anybody, let alone to children in such a vulnerable position.

Ali Rogin:

What are the impacts on the wider society? You know, the relatives, family members of the victims? And is this happening in places that people fleeing the violence are seeking safety and shelter?

Tess Ingram:

People in Sudan now live in fear of this happening to them and to their families. And so what it has done is creates a motivation to run and to leave when conflict descends on people's cities. It causes massive displacement alongside the other challenges that the conflict brings, like malnutrition and like bombardments.

But sexual violence is also causing people to be displaced. Men, women, children, frontline workers I spoke to talked about cases within the communities where these displaced people are living. Maybe it's dark.

They have to make a long walk to a water point. In those sorts of situations, they are again vulnerable to sexual violence.

Ali Rogin:

How is UNICEF helping the survivors of these assaults?

Tess Ingram:

We're working across Sudan to bring the supplies and services that survivors need. But more than that, we're trying to prevent this from happening. We're doing advocacy with the parties to the conflict to remind them of their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect children. We're also working on preventative methods such as training sessions and awareness sessions for frontline workers and for young girls.

We're also providing cash assistance to try and help those families when they flee get to places that are safer. And if that fails and we aren't able to prevent the rape, then we are providing supplies and services like mental health support, like medical kits for hospitals and the other life-saving equipment that people need.

Ali Rogin:

Tess Ingram with an important look at what's happening on the ground in Sudan. Thank you so much for your time.

Tess Ingram:

Thank you.