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The need for gender-based\u00a0violence-related services has increased 100 per cent since the crisis began in April 2023, the UN agency championing gender affairs reported, with up to 6.7 million people needing assistance by the end of last year.<\/p>\n
Cases\u00a0of conflict-related sexual violence, sexual exploitation, and abuse have been growing since then, especially in Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan.<\/p>\n
Many cases of abuse perpetrated against displaced women and girls go unreported due to a fear of stigma from other community members and inadequate support.<\/p>\n
With cases of acute food insecurity and abuse now at a record high in war-torn Sudan, female-headed households are being more affected than male-headed households.<\/p>\n
Additionally, 1.63 million women of reproductive age lack access to adequate healthcare services, even though around 54,000 childbirths are expected over the next three months.<\/p>\n
The alert explained that \u201cwomen and girls also continue to be disproportionately impacted by the lack of safe, easily accessible, and affordable water, sanitation, and hygiene<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt least 80 per cent of the internally displaced women are unable to secure clean water due to affordability, safety concerns, and distance,\u201d it continued.<\/p>\n Access to education for girls in Sudan is also a major concern as more than 2.5 million school-aged girls are unable to return to the classroom which increases the risk of \u201cbeing subjected to harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWomen and girls in Sudan are facing unimaginable challenges, yet their strength and resilience continue to inspire us<\/strong>,\u201d said Hodan Addou, acting Regional Director for UN Women\u2019s East and Southern Africa office. \u201cWe cannot let Sudan become a forgotten crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n UN Women said urgent action is needed to protect women and girls in Sudan and secure their access to food, safe water, and sexual and reproductive health services.<\/p>\n The office is calling on the international community and humanitarian partners to support funding for women-led organizations that are prioritising protecting and empowering women and girls.<\/p>\nEducation crisis<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Call for action<\/strong><\/h2>\n