UN launches 16-day campaign to combat violence against women

Women’s organisations in Sudan have called on Sudanese women to raise their voices against war and advocate for peace as a global 16-day campaign to combat gender-based violence begins.

The UN Women-led campaign, running from today— the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women— to December 10— Human Rights Day, aims to raise awareness and combat violence against women and girls. This year’s theme, #NoExcuse, asserts that there is no justification for gender-based violence.

In a statement yesterday ahead of the start of the 16-day campaign, the Unit for Combating Violence Against Women (CVAW) urged authorities to take immediate measures to protect displaced women and girls from gender-based violence, including exploitation and sexual harassment.

It particularly called for the swift passage of laws protecting women and girls from violence in Sudan, and emphasised the urgent need to facilitate legal procedures for survivors, establish accessible and safe mechanisms for reporting complaints, and provide legal support without obstacles.

Acknowledging the dangerous conditions faced by service providers in conflict zones, the CVAW expressed gratitude for the efforts of national and international partners. It reiterated that the campaign offers a critical opportunity to remind state institutions of their duties to protect civilians, ensure justice for survivors, and prevent further violence.

CVAW said that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in particular have systematically used sexual violence as a war tactic since the conflict began in April 2023. “Women and girls in El Gezira, Darfur, Khartoum, and other regions continue to suffer horrific violations”, the statement lamented.

It called for the accountability of perpetrators and an end to impunity, stating: “Addressing the legacy of systematic violence against women and girls is critical to achieving societal recovery.”

No to Women’s Oppression

In a similar statement this morning marking the start of the campaign, the No to Women’s Oppression initiative warned that the ongoing war in Sudan has left over 6.9 million women and girls at risk of murder, rape, displacement, sexual exploitation, forced marriage at gunpoint, and other atrocities. It further described the anguish caused by the loss of husbands, brothers, and children amid the ongoing “crematorium of a war” in Sudan.

Condemning violence against Sudanese youth, particularly human rights defenders, the initiative described so-called ‘safe areas’ where many are held as “large prisons” where violence is inflicted “on anyone who opposes the war or refuses to participate in it”.

The statement urged Sudanese people to reorganise and demand a peaceful resolution through civil action. “In the face of this distorted logic, we address Sudanese women and men with a rational and practical logic that enshrines the culture of peace,” the initiative said. “Raise the banner of peaceful civil action, and compel the warring parties to negotiate a just and sustainable peace.”

“From us, peace is born; to us, peace belongs.”