UN Calls for Stronger Action Against Violence on Women, Girls
By Ekanem ASUQUO
The United Nations has urged governments across the world to take stronger and more decisive steps to end violence against women and girls, warning that armed conflicts and persistent inequalities continue to worsen the situation.
The UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed, made the call during a high level meeting marking five years of the UN Group of Friends for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls.
She spoke on Thursday on the sidelines of the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
Mohammed warned that violence against women and girls is being intensified by war, militarisation and entrenched inequality, stressing that governments must move beyond condemnation and take concrete action to tackle the crisis.
According to the United Nations, more than 4,500 cases of conflict related sexual violence were verified in 2024. The organisation noted that the actual number may be far higher due to stigma, fear and the collapse of reporting systems in many conflict zones.
She highlighted troubling developments in several crisis areas. In Sudan, UN experts have reported widespread sexual violence and attacks on women human rights defenders.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, reports indicate that a child is raped about every 30 minutes, while in Haiti, sexual violence against children has increased significantly in recent years.
Mohammed stressed that women must be included in peace processes and political decision making, noting that lasting peace cannot be achieved while women and girls remain excluded and unprotected.
In a related development, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, expressed concern over rising civilian casualties caused by drone attacks in Sudan.
Türk said he was alarmed by reports that more than 200 civilians have been killed by drone strikes since March 4 in the Kordofan region and White Nile State.
In West Kordofan, at least 152 civilians were reportedly killed by Sudanese army drone strikes, including about 50 people who died when a market and a hospital were hit.
Attacks on markets in Abu Zabad and Wad Banda on March 7 also left at least 40 civilians dead, while a lorry carrying civilians was reportedly struck by a drone on March 10, killing at least 50 people.
In South Kordofan, at least 39 civilians were reportedly killed, including 14 in the state capital, Dilling, during heavy artillery shelling by the Rapid Support Forces and allied SPLM North fighters between March 4 and March 5.
Homes, schools, markets and health facilities were also damaged or destroyed in the attacks, worsening the humanitarian situation for affected communities.
The United Nations has renewed calls for stronger protection of civilians and greater international efforts to address violence and insecurity in conflict affected regions.
