from RAJI BASHIR in Khartoum, Sudan
Sudan Bureau
KHARTOUM, (CAJ News) – WOMEN and girls are deliberately targeted amid escalating hostilities in war-torn Sudan.
The United Nations (UN) Women has expressed concern amid no end in sight to the conflict.
“Violence against them (women) is pervasive both in conflict zones and displacement sites, compounding existing vulnerabilities,” UN Women said about the targets.
The UN agency denounced the tactics used, including conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), abductions, trafficking, arbitrary detentions and accusations of collaboration with the enemy.
These are widespread and often systematic.
UN Women noted escalating hostilities were driving repeated waves of displacement, with women bearing a disproportionate burden.
Women make up more than half of internally displaced people (IDPs), including 29 percent girls under 18.
They are often forced to flee under gunfire and assume new caregiving responsibilities.
Psychological trauma, loss of education opportunities and restricted livelihoods further compound their vulnerability to GBV and SEA.
At the same time, targeted attacks on health facilities have critically undermined access to maternal and reproductive health, even as cases of rape-related pregnancies increase.
It was reported more than 400 people were killed during an attack at a vast health facility last week.
– CAJ News