- UK galvanises global attention on Sudan, the world's greatest
humanitarian crisis, and the staggering scale of rape and sexual
violence used against women and children in the conflict
- £20 million of new UK funding will support survivors of
conflict-related sexual violence to access medical and
psychological support in Sudan
-
has heard first-hand how
the world had failed to protect Sudan's women and girls for
nearly three years as she pushes for ceasefire in the conflict
The UK is stepping up support and improving frontline services
for survivors of sexual violence in the Sudan conflict as the
Foreign Secretary visited Adré on the Sudanese border in Chad
today (Tuesday 2nd February).
After more than 1,000 days of conflict, Sudan is the largest
humanitarian catastrophe of the 21st century – with famine
spreading, infrastructure collapsed, and 12 million people
displaced. The evidence of atrocities is undeniable, especially
against women and children who bear an intolerable burden. A war
is being waged on women's bodies with unprecedented levels of
sexual violence, sexual slavery, and abductions.
The new £20m of UK funding will mean survivors will be connected
to support, and communities will be given the tools to tackle the
stigma that survivors and children born of rape endure,
comprehensively improving the quality of frontline services and
taking long term measures to prevent violence against women and
girls.
The Foreign Secretary is calling for urgent global action to
secure a ceasefire and demanding pressure from all nations on the
warring parties to halt the bloodshed and to protect women and
children from rape and violence.
Foreign Secretary, , said:
“The world must not look away. The international community
has failed the women of Sudan. The stories of brutal attacks,
sexual torture, public rape used as weapons in conflict against
fleeing women and children are truly horrendous. This is a war
waged on women's bodies. Yet too often these stories are not
heard, and the world turns its back.
“These criminal attacks on Sudan's women are part of the
biggest humanitarian crisis of the 21st century and we urgently
need concerted international action in pursuit of a ceasefire and
peace.
“Sudan's conflict impacts on security and migration not just
in the region but much more widely too - that's why this crisis
affects us all. The UK will be relentless in keeping the
international spotlight on the horrors taking place in
Sudan.
“The UK is stepping up support for survivors, we will not
look away. The world must come together to stem the bloodshed,
protect women and girls, and drive urgent momentum towards
peace.”
In Chad, the Foreign Secretary saw the UK's values in action,
visiting a hospital supported by UK funding, that treats
survivors of sexual violence.
The war in Sudan has triggered the world's largest displacement
crisis, with over 12 million people displaced. 1.2 million of
these refugees have fled to Chad, directly impacting Chad's
security and stability.
Meeting with Foreign Ministers from Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan,
Chad, and the African Union's Chairperson and Peace and Security
Commissioner, the Foreign Secretary discussed the importance of
working with Sudan's border nations alongside the US led Quad and
the international community to pursue an urgently needed
ceasefire in Sudan.
