The United Nations has raised alarm over a significant rise in conflict-related sexual violence worldwide, revealing that nearly 10,000 verified cases were documented in 2025 across conflict-affected regions.
Speaking at the release of the UN annual report at the organisation’s headquarters, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, described the trend as a disturbing escalation in the use of sexual violence as a tool of warfare, repression, terrorism and torture.
“In 2025 documented cases of sexual violence as a tactic of war, torture, terrorism and political repression marked by extreme brutality and overwhelmingly targeting women and girls increased dramatically,” Patten said.
The findings were contained in a report published on the UN website on Friday under the title, “Conflict-related sexual violence cases more than doubled in 2025, UN warns.” The report was obtained by our correspondent on Saturday.
According to the report, a total of 9,788 verified incidents were recorded across 21 countries affected by conflict. However, the UN stressed that the figure reflects only documented cases and does not fully represent the scale of violations occurring globally.
Patten cautioned against interpreting the statistics as a complete account of the crisis.
“The figures contained in this report should be understood not as the full picture, but as an indication of a much broader pattern of violations that remain largely unseen and underreported,” she said.
The report identified a range of abuses, including rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage, trafficking and abductions carried out by both state and non-state actors.
While women and girls continue to bear the brunt of the violence, the report noted that men and boys are also victims, particularly in detention facilities where sexual violence is often used as a method of torture. It further highlighted increased risks faced by LGBTQI+ individuals in conflict settings.
Victims ranged from infants to elderly adults, with recorded cases involving children as young as one year old and adults up to 70 years of age. The report also documented incidents involving persons living with disabilities.
The UN noted that many attacks were characterised by extreme cruelty, including killings committed after rape and cases in which survivors later died by suicide.
“At its heart, this report is about the human suffering of all these survivors and communities living in the shadow of war,” Patten stated.
The report further underscored the involvement of armed groups and criminal networks in perpetrating sexual violence, particularly in fragile and resource-rich regions where such acts are used to maintain control over territory and populations.
It also linked growing vulnerability among women and girls to displacement, insecurity and weakened protection mechanisms, especially in border communities and remote areas.
According to the UN, restrictions on humanitarian access and persistent funding shortages continue to hinder efforts to document violations and provide support services to survivors.
The organisation called on Member States and the Security Council to intensify efforts aimed at prevention, accountability and survivor-focused responses in conflict zones.
Among its recommendations are ensuring unrestricted humanitarian access, strengthening monitoring and sanctions mechanisms, supporting women’s protection advisers in UN missions, enhancing investigations and prosecutions, and increasing funding for medical, psychosocial and legal assistance programmes.
Patten urged the international community to place survivors at the centre of its response to the crisis.
“These violations are neither isolated nor confined to a handful of contexts.
“They are global in scale, devastating in impact and demand a response centred not on political posturing, selective outrage or pre-conceived narratives, but on the rights, needs and dignity of victims and survivors,” she said.
