Conflict-related sexual violence is not inevitable:
Survivors' Strategies for Prevention in Sudan
19 June 2026
CRSV is not inevitable: Survivors' strategies for prevention in Sudan
العنف الجنسي المرتبط بالنزاعات ليس حتمياً: استراتيجيات الناجين لمنع العنف الجنسي المرتبط بالنزاعات في السودان - النسخة العربية
The report 'Conflict‑related sexual violence is not inevitable: Sudanese Survivors’ Strategies for Prevention' presents a survivor‑led analysis of conflict‑related sexual violence (CRSV) in Sudan, based on focus‑group discussions conducted in late 2025 with survivors in Chad, South Sudan and Darfur. Survivors unequivocally state that CRSV is not an inevitable consequence of war, but a preventable crime driven by impunity, deep‑rooted gender inequality, ethnic targeting, and the collapse of protective institutions.
The findings reveal that CRSV in Sudan is systematic, deliberate and very often ethnically- motivated; used to persecute, displace and destroy communities. Survivors describe profound and intergenerational impacts, including trauma, acute stigma, family rejection and the marginalisation of children born of rape, who are frequently viewed as “children of the enemy". A pervasive culture of silence and blame protects perpetrators and deters reporting, while the lack of accountability allows violence to continue unchecked.
Survivors rejected the notion that CRSV is an inevitable consequence of war. They stressed that prevention is possible and urgent, requiring a combination of accountability, civilian protection, and a scaling of social interventions to promote attitude and behaviour change.