Ahmad 
“Together Against Rape and Sexual Violence” has launched a new initiative to stop crimes of sexual violence, proposing a voluntary “instrument of commitment” between warring parties to end sexual assaults.
In its fourth and final report, the campaign recorded 51 documented incidents of rape of women and children between February and April 2024.
The report confirmed that Gezira state witnessed the highest rate of these crimes, with nearly 52% of recorded incidents, followed by Khartoum and White Nile.
The campaign began contacting warring factions and armed movements to obtain signatures on the proposed instrument, based on a model developed by the Swiss organization Geneva Cool, which previously succeeded in collecting the signatures of 45 armed movements around the world.
A member of the campaign, Abdul Aziz Sam, explained that the instrument represents one of the mechanisms to stop rape crimes, pointing to the challenges they face due to the continuation of conflicts and the lack of a peaceful truce.
He also touched on the great human suffering caused by the war, and the importance of protecting citizens and strengthening the role of the government and the international community in this context.
In a related context, the campaign issued a comprehensive call to political parties, community institutions, and government and private agencies, including sports clubs and educational and health institutions, to join the initiative and sign the instrument, in order to activate laws and policies aimed at achieving justice and protecting victims.
Sudan has been one of the largest hotbeds of rape since fighting erupted in April 2023, with a UN report in February indicating that by December 15, 2023, at least 118 people had been subjected to sexual violence, including rape, gang rape and attempted rape, including 19 children.
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