Latest news with #SexualViolence
The Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Sexual violence in conflicts worldwide increased by 25% last year, UN says
Sexual violence in conflicts worldwide increased by 25% last year, with the highest number of cases in the Central African Republic, Congo, Haiti, Somalia and South Sudan, according to a U.N. report released Thursday. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' annual report said more than 4,600 people survived sexual violence in 2024, with armed groups carrying out the majority of the abuse but some by government forces. He stressed that the U.N.-verified figures don't reflect the global scale and prevalence of these crimes. The report's blacklist names 63 government and non-government parties in a dozen countries suspected of committing or being responsible for rape and other forms of sexual violence in conflict, including Hamas militants, whose attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparked the war in Gaza. Over 70% of those listed have appeared on the report's blacklist annex for five years or more without creating steps to prevent the violence, the U.N. chief said. U.N. warns Israel and Russia about allegations For the first time, the report includes two parties that have been notified the U.N. has 'credible information' that could put them on next year's blacklist if they don't take preventive actions: Israel's military and security forces over allegations of sexual abuse of Palestinians primarily in prisons and detention, and Russian forces and affiliated armed groups against Ukrainian prisoners of war. Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon, who circulated a letter Tuesday from Guterres about the country's forces being put on notice, said the allegations 'are steeped in biased publications.' 'The U.N. must focus on the shocking war crimes and sexual violence of Hamas and the release of all hostages,' he said. Russia's U.N. mission said it had no comment on the secretary-general's warning. The 34-page report said 'conflict-related sexual violence' refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, forced sterilization, forced marriage and other forms of sexual violence. The majority of victims are women and girls. 'In 2024, proliferating and escalating conflicts were marked by widespread conflict-related sexual violence, amid record levels of displacement and increased militarization,' Guterres said. 'Sexual violence continued to be used as a tactic of war, torture, terrorism and political repression, while multiple and overlapping political, security and humanitarian crises deepened.' The toll of sexual violence in conflict The U.N. says women and girls were attacked in their homes, on roads and while trying to earn a living, with victims ranging in age from 1 to 75. Reports of summary executions of victims after rape persisted in Congo and Myanmar, it said. In an increasing number of places, the report said armed groups 'used sexual violence as a tactic to gain and consolidate control over territory and lucrative natural resources.' Women and girls perceived to be associated with rival armed groups were targeted with sexual violence in the Central African Republic, Congo and Haiti, it said. In detention facilities, the report said sexual violence was perpetrated 'including as a form of torture,' reportedly in Israel and the Palestinian territories, Libya, Myanmar, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen. 'Most of the reported incidents against men and boys occurred in detention, consistent with previous years, and included rape, threats of rape and the electrocution and beating of genitals,' the report said. U.N. report details where abuse is occurring The U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic documented cases of rape, gang rape, forced marriage and sexual slavery affecting 215 women, 191 girls and seven men. In mineral-rich eastern Congo, the peacekeeping mission documented nearly 800 cases last year including including rape, gang rape, sexual slavery and forced marriage, 'often accompanied by extreme physical violence,' the report said. The number of cases involving the M23 rebel group, now controlling the main city Goma, rose from 43 in 2022 to 152 in 2024, it said. In Sudan, where civil war is raging, the report said groups providing services to victims of sexual violence recorded 221 rape cases against 147 girls and 74 boys, 'with 16% of survivors under five years of age, including four one-year-olds.'
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Sexual violence in conflicts worldwide increased by 25% last year, UN says
UNITED NATIONS — Sexual violence in conflicts worldwide increased by 25% last year, with the highest number of cases in the Central African Republic, Congo, Haiti, Somalia and South Sudan, according to a U.N. report released Thursday. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' annual report said more than 4,600 people survived sexual violence in 2024, with armed groups carrying out the majority of the abuse but some by government forces. He stressed that the U.N.-verified figures don't reflect the global scale and prevalence of these crimes.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Sexual violence in conflicts worldwide increased by 25% last year, UN says
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Sexual violence in conflicts worldwide increased by 25% last year, with the highest number of cases in the Central African Republic, Congo, Haiti, Somalia and South Sudan, according to a U.N. report released Thursday. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' annual report said more than 4,600 people survived sexual violence in 2024, with armed groups carrying out the majority of the abuse but some by government forces. He stressed that the U.N.-verified figures don't reflect the global scale and prevalence of these crimes. The report's blacklist names 63 government and non-government parties in a dozen countries suspected of committing or being responsible for rape and other forms of sexual violence in conflict, including Hamas militants, whose attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparked the war in Gaza. Over 70% of those listed have appeared on the report's blacklist annex for five years or more without creating steps to prevent the violence, the U.N. chief said. U.N. warns Israel and Russia about allegations For the first time, the report includes two parties that have been notified the U.N. has 'credible information' that could put them on next year's blacklist if they don't take preventive actions: Israel's military and security forces over allegations of sexual abuse of Palestinians primarily in prisons and detention, and Russian forces and affiliated armed groups against Ukrainian prisoners of war. Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon, who circulated a letter Tuesday from Guterres about the country's forces being put on notice, said the allegations 'are steeped in biased publications.' 'The U.N. must focus on the shocking war crimes and sexual violence of Hamas and the release of all hostages,' he said. Russia's U.N. mission said it had no comment on the secretary-general's warning. The 34-page report said 'conflict-related sexual violence' refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, forced sterilization, forced marriage and other forms of sexual violence. The majority of victims are women and girls. 'In 2024, proliferating and escalating conflicts were marked by widespread conflict-related sexual violence, amid record levels of displacement and increased militarization,' Guterres said. 'Sexual violence continued to be used as a tactic of war, torture, terrorism and political repression, while multiple and overlapping political, security and humanitarian crises deepened.' The toll of sexual violence in conflict The U.N. says women and girls were attacked in their homes, on roads and while trying to earn a living, with victims ranging in age from 1 to 75. Reports of summary executions of victims after rape persisted in Congo and Myanmar, it said. In an increasing number of places, the report said armed groups 'used sexual violence as a tactic to gain and consolidate control over territory and lucrative natural resources.' Women and girls perceived to be associated with rival armed groups were targeted with sexual violence in the Central African Republic, Congo and Haiti, it said. In detention facilities, the report said sexual violence was perpetrated 'including as a form of torture,' reportedly in Israel and the Palestinian territories, Libya, Myanmar, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen. 'Most of the reported incidents against men and boys occurred in detention, consistent with previous years, and included rape, threats of rape and the electrocution and beating of genitals,' the report said. U.N. report details where abuse is occurring The U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic documented cases of rape, gang rape, forced marriage and sexual slavery affecting 215 women, 191 girls and seven men. In mineral-rich eastern Congo, the peacekeeping mission documented nearly 800 cases last year including including rape, gang rape, sexual slavery and forced marriage, 'often accompanied by extreme physical violence,' the report said. The number of cases involving the M23 rebel group, now controlling the main city Goma, rose from 43 in 2022 to 152 in 2024, it said. In Sudan, where civil war is raging, the report said groups providing services to victims of sexual violence recorded 221 rape cases against 147 girls and 74 boys, 'with 16% of survivors under five years of age, including four one-year-olds.' ___
Egypt Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Israel says UN chief warned it could be listed in upcoming sexual violence report
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned Israel about potentially listing the country's armed forces in an upcoming UN report on sexual violence, according to the spokesperson for Israel's mission to the UN. 'I am putting Israeli armed and security forces on notice for potential listing in the next reporting cycle, due to significant concerns of patterns of certain forms of sexual violence that have been consistently documented by the United Nations,' Guterres wrote in the letter sent to Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the UN, on Monday. The UN's Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict publishes an annual report titled Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, in which it documents sexual violence committed in armed conflict. Guterres' letter to Danon, which was shared by Israel's mission to the UN, said the UN is concerned about 'credible information of violations by Israeli armed and security forces, perpetrated against Palestinians in several prisons, a detention center and military base.' 'Due to consistent denial of access to United Nations monitors,' the letter said, 'it has been challenging to make a definitive determination regarding patterns, trends and systematicity of sexual violence in these situations.' Guterres urged Israel to take 'necessary measures to ensure immediate cessation of all acts of sexual violence.' A 2024 report by leading Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said that sexual violence was repeatedly carried out by soldiers or prison guards against Palestinian detainees. The IDF repeatedly rejected allegations of systematic abuse. Israel runs several prison facilities that hold Palestinians, including Sde Teiman and Ketziot Prison in the country's Negev desert, Megiddo and Gilboa near the West Bank, Etzion in Jerusalem, and more. Last summer, Israel transferred hundreds of Palestinian detainees out of Sde Teiman following a petition from human rights groups – which drew heavily on CNN reporting about the makeshift prison – for it to be shut down. In September, the High Court of Justice warned the prison must abide by the law, but did not order the government to shut it down. Responding to the letter on Tuesday, Danon said the 'Secretary-General chooses once again to adopt as their word baseless accusations, which are steeped in biased publications,' urging the UN to focus on sexual violence committed by Hamas. In March, a UN commission found that Israel had 'increasingly employed sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence' against Palestinians 'as part of a broader effort to undermine their right to self-determination.' It also accused Israel of carrying out 'genocidal acts through the systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive healthcare facilities.' Israel's mission to the UN in Geneva strongly rejected the statement at the time, calling it a 'shameless attempt to incriminate' the Israeli military. Last year, a UN team also found 'clear and convincing' information that hostages in Gaza were sexually abused and there are 'reasonable grounds' to believe the sexual violence was ongoing there. Pramila Patten, the UN special envoy on sexual violence in conflict, said the team had found 'reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence, including rape and gang rape occurred' during Hamas' October 7 terror attack in Israel. It amounted to the UN's most definitive finding on allegations of sexual assault in the aftermath of the attack.
Powys County Times
17-07-2025
- Powys County Times
Powys police see rise in rape victims seeking prosecution
Powys Police say they has seen an increase in rape victims pursuing prosecutions as a result of the work by a new response team. At the Dyfed Powys Police awards, the force's Bluestone Team were recognised with the Innovation and Problem Solving Award for improving victim engagement and offering support to people reporting rape offences. Established in March 2024, police say that the first year of the process in Powys has seen 79 per cent of victims who were engaged with accepted the support of an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor, an increase of 30 percent from the previous year. Detective Sergeant Ben Staniforth of the Bluestone Team explained: 'Victim survivors of sexual assault sometimes tell police, medical staff or other trusted people or professional bodies of their allegation without wishing to report the incident. 'For example, they might tell a paramedic or a GP following a medical consultation, who will inform police. Under our new process, our specialist team would contact the victim with the aim of ensuring they are aware of the support available to them, and that they are aware of the criminal justice process. Anglers fear 'environmental catastrophe' could kill hundreds of fish at Powys lake Monthly black bin collections 'would only happen after Powys residents have say' 'All of this is done in a trauma informed way, and in line with guidance.' The programme saw a rapid video response established for people who have reported rapes outside the forensic evidence window, which police say gives victims more opportunity to engage with specialist officers, giving them more flexibility on where and when they can speak to an officer about what has happened. The process also allows police to speak to victims more quickly and thereby gain important information on the case. The team also has an active working relationship with New Pathways rape crisis and sexual abuse support service, offering victims instant access to a crisis worker. DS Staniforth added that the result of these steps is that between March 2024 and March 2025, 12 victims have changed their 'tell' to an official report and supported a criminal justice outcome. He said: 'This will inevitably result in a future increase in sexual offence conviction rates, improving the safeguarding of our communities. 'The first year of offering a virtual response to victims has seen very positive results. This not only means that we are able to pursue a greater number of suspects for serious offences, but the victims who have suffered the trauma of being raped can access crucial support services.'
