Sexual Violence in War Zones: A Call for Global Action 

As part of an advocacy campaign during the16 Days of Activism 2024, JRS Australia’s Finding Safety Project Manager Sara Muzamil shares reflections on the impacts of sexual violence on her work with women on temporary visas.  

*Please note this article contains distressing themes.  

Sexual violence is a harrowing reality in conflict zones. Amid armed conflicts, rape is frequently used as a weapon of war to intimidate, humiliate, and undermine communities. Women and girls often bear the brunt, suffering physical, emotional, and psychological trauma. Such violence worsens the vulnerability of this cohort, as it deprives them of safety, dignity, and access to justice.  

In Sudan, decades of conflict have normalised systemic sexual violence against women, with reports of mass rapes in Darfur and recently in Khartoum as well as other regions emerging as grim evidence to these ongoing atrocities. The voices of women survivors in Sudan reveal harrowing realities of war and the use of sexual violence as a tool of control.

For instance, in Darfur’s conflict, women were often degraded and sexually assaulted, with attackers expressing racial hatred to terrorise communities. One survivor described feeling powerless after repeatedly reporting her assault to the local police, who ignored her pleas as violence and lawlessness prevailed​. 

In a more recent Sudanese conflict, “Aisha” recounted being repeatedly raped by armed militia members who invaded her home in Khartoum. Her fear of both stigma and retaliation left her unable to share her trauma, leading her to leave for a displacement camp for safety.​ 

 Similarly, “Fatima,” a Sudanese mother, experienced multiple assaults over several nights by armed men who threatened her children, a traumatic period that later led her to seek refuge in Ethiopia where she finally found relative safety. 

In Palestine, the Israeli Palestinian conflict has subjected countless women and girls to sexual violence, often ignored in broader political narratives. Beside the brutal forms of sexual violence, armed groups often control access to medical services and deprives them of access to justice. As a result, they do not seek medical attention or even report the assault due to fear, stigma or insecurity. This calculated negligence perpetuates cycles of impunity, leaving survivors without the support they desperately need.  

JRS Australia stands in solidarity

Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), among other humanitarian organizations, plays a crucial role in addressing sexual violence in war zones. Since June 2012, refugee services like JRS, officially signed on as a member of the latest civil society coalition, the International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence in Conflict. 

By providing psychological support, legal aid, and safe spaces for survivors, JRS Australia works to rebuild dignity and empower survivors. However, systemic international efforts, including government action is required to support and fulfil these grassroots initiatives. 

The world must act firmly to end the use of sexual violence against women and girls as a tool of war and ensure that women bodies are no longer treated as battlefields.  

During these 16 Days of Activism, let’s work together through intensive international efforts, to make sure the voices of survivors are amplified, perpetrators are held accountable, and we build a future where these atrocities become history. 

Sara Muzamil
Manager – Finding Safety Project
JRS Australia