Sudanese Women Demand an End to Violence Against Women
Moatinoon
Community-based and grassroots women’s organizations in Sudan have shed light on the plight of women amidst the ongoing war, calling for intensified efforts to protect women’s rights. They urged Sudanese citizens to advocate for peace and an end to the war, while appealing to the international community and regional and global organizations to fulfill their humanitarian responsibilities by intervening urgently to provide food, medicine, and protection for civilians. This was highlighted in observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
In a statement issued on the occasion, the Gender Secretariat of the Sudanese Journalists Union noted that this year’s commemoration takes place against the backdrop of dire humanitarian conditions caused by the raging war in the country, which exacerbates women’s suffering, especially female journalists who bear double the burden amid the conflict.
The Secretariat explained that the conflict in Sudan has led to the absence of accurate statistics on the scale of violations against women, enabling perpetrators to escape accountability, silencing survivors, and further complicating their plight.
It also pointed out that over 60 female journalists are trapped and under direct threat due to armed clashes in the states of Khartoum, Gezira, and Darfur, placing their lives in constant danger.
The "No to Women’s Oppression Initiative," in a statement titled “Renewing Active Participation in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence,” stated that more than 6.9 million Sudanese women and girls face threats of murder, rape, displacement, sexual exploitation, enslavement, forced prostitution under armed captivity, or forced marriage under the threat of weapons.
The initiative called for organizing efforts to advocate for peace by championing civil, peaceful action and pressuring the warring parties to sit at the negotiation table and reach a peaceful solution. It urged civilian forces to set terms for a just and sustainable peace.
The Sudanese Women’s Union demanded an immediate and unconditional end to the catastrophic war between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces. It called on the warring parties to prioritize the interests of the Sudanese people, pointing out that killings, looting, rape, and forced displacement threaten to erase the national identity in many regions.
In a press release issued as part of the 16 Days Campaign to eliminate all forms of violence against women, the Union appealed to the international community and regional organizations to fulfill their humanitarian responsibilities and intervene urgently to provide food, medicine, and protect civilians from this ongoing catastrophe. The Union emphasized that peace and an end to the suffering of all Sudanese people—especially women and children—can only be achieved by ending the war and restoring Sudan as a safe state governed by justice and equality.
Meanwhile, "The Guardians Organization" called for an end to the war through a digital poster on its Facebook page. Additionally, the “Gender Equality Network - Kassala” condemned the use of all forms of sexual violence as a weapon of war and combat tactic. It described this violence as a deliberate pattern that has increased to unprecedented levels, marking it as the most severe and violent in Sudan’s history.
For its part, the Democratic Women’s Union stated that it monitors all forms of violence against women and encourages survivors not to remain silent to ensure perpetrators do not escape accountability. It called on organizations, unions, and political groups to use the 16 Days following November 25 to document, expose, and highlight all violations against women so the world knows that in Sudan, women and girls face some of the worst and most brutal forms of violence globally.
The Union added, “The least the local and international communities can do to end this violence is to pressure the warring parties to end the war.”
