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A girl at the Mother and Child Health Center in Mogadishu, Somalia, visited by the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict
A girl at the Mother and Child Health Center in Mogadishu, Somalia, visited by the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict
Photo:UN/Tobin Jones

Understanding the devastating impact of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence on survivors and societies

 is a war crime, a crime against humanity and a constituent act of genocide under international law, posing threats to individual and collective security and hindering lasting peace.

Its impacts are far-reaching, causing physical and psychological trauma, stigma, and poverty that can affect survivors and their families for generations. In some communities, survivors may face ostracization, which limits their access to vital social support and healing resources.

Additionally, the consequences can be magnified if pregnancies result from such violence, potentially leading to further societal rejection of children born in these circumstances. This form of violence is often connected to other wartime atrocities, including the abduction and recruitment of individuals into armed groups.

A frontal attack to social cohesion

Conflict-related sexual violence undermines social cohesion by destroying community bonds and leaving lasting trauma for survivors and their families. Many survivors remain silent due to fear of reprisals, lack of support, and the stigma placed on them instead of the perpetrators.

Empowering survivors of CRSV through healing and community support

As a global community, we must seek to examine the long-term effects of conflict-related sexual violence. We need to widen the aperture to illustrate how conflict-related sexual violence affects families and communities across time and space. If left unaddressed, its harms compound over time.

To break this cycle and promote healing, access to mental health and psychosocial support is crucial. Survivors require trauma-informed care to help navigate their experiences and build resilience. Effective intervention strategies include community-based support, child-friendly resources for young survivors, educational initiatives, and legislative changes aimed at preventing conflict-related sexual violence. By addressing intergenerational trauma, we can foster an environment where survivors and their children are empowered to reclaim their lives, transforming their experiences of horror into hope and healing.

A woman sits outside her home in Mogadishu, Somalia, during a visit of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.

2025 Event

Breaking the Cycle, Healing the Scars: Addressing the Intergenerational Effects of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

Thursday, 19 June 2025
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT
Conference Room 5, UNHQ, New York


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Concept Note and Programme

Event to commemorate the 11th official observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict co-hosted by the Office of the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict, the Office of the , and the Permanent Mission of Argentina to the United Nations.

The purpose of the event is to stand in solidarity with survivors, and those supporting them, to spark hope, knowledge and inspiration as we lift our voices to say: “#EndRapeInWar”.

Background

Definition and prevalence

The term “conflict-related sexual violence” refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, enforced sterilization, forced marriage and any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity perpetrated against women, men, girls or boys that is directly or indirectly linked to a conflict. The term also encompasses trafficking in persons when committed in situations of conflict for the purpose of sexual violence or exploitation.

A consistent concern is that fear and cultural stigma converge to prevent the vast majority of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence from coming forward to report such violence. Practitioners in the field estimate that for each rape reported in connection with a conflict, 10 to 20 cases go undocumented.

UN Resolutions

On 19 June 2015, the United Nations General Assembly () proclaimed 19 June of each year the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, in order to raise awareness of the need to put an end to conflict-related sexual violence, to honour the victims and survivors of sexual violence around the world and to pay tribute to all those who have courageously devoted their lives to and lost their lives in standing up for the eradication of these crimes.

The date was chosen to commemorate the adoption on 19 June 2008 of , in which the Council condemned sexual violence as a tactic of war and an impediment to peacebuilding.

In response to the rise in violent extremism, the Security Council adopted , the first to address the nexus between trafficking, sexual violence, terrorism and transnational organized crime. Acknowledging sexual violence as a tactic of terrorism, it further affirmed that victims of trafficking and sexual violence committed by terrorist groups should be eligible for official redress as victims of terrorism.

Resources

  • General Assembly resolution establishing the International Day ()

Reports of the Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence

Other reports

Publications

Related websites

Multimedia

"If you look at the history of war, and the conflicts around the world, and time immemorial, sexual violence has been used in every war as a tactic of war" - Pramila Patten (Secretary-General's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict)

Listen to the interview in Awake at Night S3-Episode 26: It Breaks Your Heart to Hear About the Brutality

 

Join us for a powerful viewing of “Fighting the Silence”, a compelling documentary that brings the urgent issue of sexual violence in conflict into the spotlight. This impactful film was showcased during a significant event on October 23, 2024, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, marking the 15th anniversary of the mandate addressing this critical issue.

A black and white image of a woman carrying an empty water can.

Online Exhibition: A conflict-Related Sexual Violence Survivor’s Journey to Healing

United Nations Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict () brings together 25 UN entities with the goal of ending sexual violence during and in the wake of armed conflict.

Launched in 2007, it represents a concerted effort by the UN to ‘deliver as one’ – improving coordination and accountability, amplifying advocacy and supporting country-level efforts to prevent conflict-related sexual violence and respond more effectively to the needs of survivors.

 

Pramila Patten addresses the Security Council

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict serves as the UN spokesperson and political advocate on conflict-related sexual violence. She chairs the and her work is supported by the UN Team of Experts on the Rule of Law/Sexual Violence in Conflict.

The office was established in 2009 and Under-Secretary-General Pramila Patten was appointed in 2017. She succeeds Ms. Zainab Hawa Bangura and Ms. Margot Wallstr?m.

an abstract illustration of people engaged in an event

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.