Photo UNDP/J.Clark Women of Sudan Risking your life to fetch water: Women in Sudan face death threats every day Women
In El Obeid, Sudan, every trip to fetch water poses serious risks for women and girls: during the day, water supplies and distribution points are subject to drone attacks, and at night, Sudanese women face harassment, rape and other forms of sexual violence. UN Women announced this on Friday.
Women and girls are forced to wait until dark, believing they will be better protected from air strikes at night, according to a UN agency. However, when they go to fetch water after sunset, they are often sexually assaulted.
The Threat of Cholera
As the peak of the monsoon season approaches, the lack of safe drinking water increases the threat of infections. Cholera has already affected parts of Sudan: according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1,330 cases of the disease were reported in the country in early July
The situation is exacerbated by malnutrition, which significantly weakens the immune system and is becoming a growing problem among women and girls. Combined with lack of access to health care, it significantly increases the risk of severe illness and death.
Sexual violence as a weapon of war
Sexual violence has been used as a weapon of war throughout the three years of conflict in Sudan and has become one of its most prominent features, UN Women said. Thus, since the beginning of the conflict, the number of women and girls requiring protection from gender-based violence and assistance has quadrupled. The organization estimates that the number will reach 12.7 million in 2026.
Local women-led organizations play a critical role in providing humanitarian assistance. With the support of UN Women, they reach people in areas where other humanitarian agencies often cannot reach, and provide essential services to women and girls. However, funding cuts have severely limited their options.
Two thirds of women’s organizations surveyed in Sudan reported that safe spaces and services for survivors of gender-based violence in their areas had closed or had significantly reduced operations. Half of the organizations warned that without urgent financial support they would have to suspend operations or close entirely within the next year.
Call for a ceasefire
UN Women reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire to pave the way for peaceful negotiations and an end war.
The organization also demanded to ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access, respect international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and guarantee the protection of women and girls. Perpetrators of violations must be held accountable, and victims must have access to justice and comprehensive assistance, the organization emphasized.
Women must fully participate in peace processes, decision-making related to humanitarian issues and reconstruction of the country, and their safety must be guaranteed. The UN also called for increased funding for women-led organizations.