The Forgotten Method of Warfare Weaponised Sexual Violence in Ongoing Conflicts, from Ukraine to Sudan

Since 2002, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has reached one final conviction for conflict-related sexual violence. Over the last two decades, there has been an eruption in conflicts across the globe. With this, comes the horrific practice of sexual violence being used by male fighters against female civilian populations. Whilst we can find cases of sexual violence being used in nearly all conflicts throughout history, this is a disturbing subject which those who aren’t involved, tend to look away from. This is somewhat understandable due to the unthinkable, brutal realities women caught in conflicts face daily. However, it is necessary to raise awareness for victims by reporting on this extensively, to cultivate the widespread cultural outrage that gets world leaders to pay attention.

From high profile conflicts such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to conflicts being ignored by the West such as the Civil War in Sudan, the use of sexual violence in warfare has spiralled further out of control whilst still being neglected by the international community. In this piece, I will explore the devastating impact of sexual warfare upon countless women in conflicts across the world, focusing specifically on Ukraine and Sudan. Without a serious shift in how these conflicts are being reported, the silenced victims of conflict-related sexual violence will go on being abused and neglected on an international scale.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has reported 376 cases of sexual violence. Russian soldiers have been using one of the world’s oldest weapons of war to degrade and intimidate Ukrainian survivors, including women, children and the elderly. Despite being one of the highest profile conflicts reported in Western media, this component of the war has had little reporting by major news outlets. Searching Google, the most recent significant reporting is five months old. A Sky News article (two years old) reported how victims were often raped multiple times by different soldiers, beaten and threatened with guns. Women reported feelings of powerlessness, the ultimate form of warfare due to the complete humiliation of its victims.

Further south, similar stories of this humiliation are being told. Sudanese women are facing shocking levels of sexual violence at the hands of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in their homes, volatile conflict zones, or travelling along asylum routes. Local reports suggest that the RSF has committed at least 500 counts of sexual assault and gender-based violence against women and girls, including sexual slavery. The levels of this sexual warfare have gotten so extreme that many women in areas of Sudan such as Gezira state have committed suicide to avoid being sexually assaulted. As well as this, many have taken their own lives after being raped, unable to cope with the trauma and humiliation forced upon them.

In both countries, despite reports being widespread and deeply disturbing, the international community has done little to tackle this issue. Despite being classified as a war crime under international law, the ICC have not taken significant steps to prosecute the soldiers and military command of the Russian Army or the RSF. Despite some steps being taken to implement ‘policy’ that promises to ‘address sexual and gender-based crimes in a more systematic and effective way’, this remains vague and bureaucratic.

This is a vastly complex issue that is admittedly difficult to convict on an international level. The more major news outlets highlight this vile warfare method as an essential part of their reporting, the more the international community will take notice. Revealing the brutal realities faced by war’s most vulnerable victims to the comfortable western world will rightly spark outrage and a drive to end this horrific practice. Women, in Ukraine, Sudan and I’m sure countless women in other ongoing conflicts (e.g. Israel, Palestine and Myanmar) are facing barbaric assault as old as warfare itself. It must end. The Western media has a duty to enhance the voices of these victims, helping to end their suffering and punish those responsible.

By Lois Blackmore.

Credits

• Al Jazeera. (2024). War on women: Sexual violence in Sudan. [online] Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/program/the-stream/2024/11/26/war-on-women-sexual-violence-in-sudan [Accessed 1 Dec. 2024].
• Altunjan, T. (2021). The International Criminal Court and Sexual Violence: between Aspirations and Reality. German Law Journal, [online] 22(5), pp.878–893. https://doi.org/10.1017/glj.2021.45. [Accessed 1 Dec. 2024].
• Darweesh, B. (2023). 500 women in Sudan were subject to conflict related sexual violence by the RSF | Al Bawaba. [online] Available at: https://www.albawaba.com/news/500-women-sudan-were-subject-conflict-1594581#google_vignette [Accessed 1 Dec. 2024].
• Hujale, M & Sy, L. (2024) Women and girls mired in Sudan crisis suffer surge in sexual violence | UNCHR [online] Available at: https://www.unhcr.org/news/stories/women-and-girls-mired-sudan-crisis-suffer-surge-sexual-violence [Accessed 1 Dec 2024]
• International Criminal Court. (2022.). Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim A.A. Khan KC Publishes Policy on the Crime of Gender Persecution. [online] Available at: https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/prosecutor-international-criminal-court-icc-karim-aa-khan-kc-publishes-policy-crime-gender.
• Korshak, S. (2023). Russian Army Rape and Sex Violence Prosecuted by Ukraine Only the Tip of the Iceberg. [online] Get the Latest Ukraine News Today - KyivPost. Available at: https://www.kyivpost.com/post/21245.
• Lynch, N. (2023) ‘They took turns raping me’: Ukrainian survivors reveal how Russian soldiers use sex attacks ‘as a weapon of war’. [online] Sky News. Available at: https://news.sky.com/story/they-took-turns-raping-me-ukrainian-survivors-reveal-how-russian-soldiers-use-sex-attacks-as-a-weapon-of-war-12818302.
• UkrInform and AFP (2024). UN Reports 376 Cases of Sexual Violence in War as Ukraine Aims to Support Victims. [online] Kyiv Post. Available at: https://www.kyivpost.com/post/42823 [Accessed 1 Dec. 2024].