Save the Children: Over Half of Displaced Are Children, with Girls at Risk of Sexual Violence
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Save the Children reported that more than 2.8 million infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children are among the displaced across Sudan, according to new data released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The organization warned today that girls are particularly vulnerable, with over 3.2 million displaced children under the age of 18 facing specific threats of sexual violence, rape, early, or forced marriage.
Save the Children highlighted that more than half of the 11 million displaced people, totaling 5.8 million, are children under 18, and more than a quarter, or 2.8 million, are children under five.
“These young children face unique risks, lacking early childhood essentials, including vaccinations, clean water, healthcare, nutritious food, and adequate shelter to protect them from extreme heat and cold,” the organization said.
Approximately half of these children are currently hosted within communities, while the remaining half live in dire conditions: 18% reside in displaced persons camps, 16% in informal settlements or open spaces, and 9% in overcrowded schools or other public buildings. Many of these children share accommodations with unfamiliar adults, with limited or no access to water and sanitation.
Around 11 million people in Sudan—30% of the population—have been forced to leave their homes, including those displaced before the escalation of conflict in April 2023. Numbers have increased by 200,000 in the last month alone, with over 45,000 people displaced in Al-Jazirah State, including 27,000 children, in the past seven days.
The highest percentage of displaced children is in the Red Sea State in eastern Sudan, where children make up 60% of all displaced, followed by Central Darfur at 57%. More than a third of displaced children and families are from the capital, Khartoum, which has seen some of the conflict’s fiercest battles, followed by South Darfur (19%) and North Darfur (15%).
Mohamed Abdullatif, Interim Director of Save the Children in Sudan, described the scale and vulnerability of Sudan’s displaced children as staggering.
“The situation in Sudan is spiraling out of control, with more and more lives at risk every day due to violence, displacement, and killings. This has become one of the most devastating humanitarian crises in the world, but the world isn’t paying attention,” he said.
“In just the past week, at least ten children, including those as young as ten, were killed, and at least 43 were injured in Al-Jazirah State.”
He added that the United Nations reported cases of girls as young as 13 being raped and sexually assaulted. Reports have also emerged of children being detained, homes being widely destroyed, and mass displacement, with families walking for days to reach safety.
He urged the international community to take urgent, meaningful political action to address this crisis, aiming for an immediate ceasefire and progress toward a lasting peace agreement.
