Published on: 2026-07-08
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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July 8, 2026 Peace and Security
The number of cases of conflict-related sexual violence confirmed by the United Nations has more than doubled over the past year. This was stated by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, who spoke on Wednesday at the Security Council’s open debates dedicated to protecting victims and upholding international law.
This year’s annual Security Council debates are chaired by the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Judith Suminyaka Tuluki. The meeting is titled “Fulfillment of obligations under international law in the interests of persons who have survived conflict-related sexual violence.”
According to Patten, the report presented to the Council by the Secretary-General reflects alarming changes in the nature of modern wars.
“[Obligations under] international law have never been so relevant and at the same time subjected to such serious challenges. The report before us today reflects the changing face of war,” she stated.
Almost ten thousand confirmed cases
According to the report, the UN managed to confirm 9,788 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2025. This is more than double the figure from the previous year. However, the Organization emphasizes that the actual number of victims is significantly higher, as most such crimes go unreported.
As Patten noted, humanitarian organizations believe that for every case that reaches medical institutions, there are ten to twenty cases that go unreported.
The report covers 21 situations related to armed conflict. The highest number of confirmed cases were recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Sudan, and the Central African Republic. About 90 percent of the affected are women and girls, but men and boys, especially those in custody, are also subjected to violence. The age of the victims ranged from one year old to over 70 years. Nearly three thousand confirmed cases involved children, which is 37 percent more than the previous year.
Not a “side effect” of war
Pramila Patten emphasized that sexual violence is not an accidental consequence of hostilities. “These crimes can no longer be considered ‘collateral damage’ or random, ‘opportunistic’ excesses of individuals appropriating ‘war trophies.’ This is a deliberate attack on human dignity, social cohesion, and collective security,” she said.
According to her, sexual violence is used as a tool of war, terror, torture, and political repression. It contributes to forced displacement of the population, destroys families and entire communities, and is often accompanied by the murder of victims to conceal the crimes committed.
New members on the “list of shame”
The appendix to the report lists 77 conflict parties involved in systematic sexual violence. More than 65 percent of them have been on this list for five or more years without taking the necessary measures to stop the violations.
This year, for the first time, the armed forces of Israel and the Russian Federation, as well as several non-state armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti, were included in the list. According to Patten, Israel and Russia were sent demands to stop violations, ensure unhindered access for UN observers, and take measures to hold those responsible accountable as early as August last year, but no significant progress has been recorded.
“Russian armed forces continue to be mentioned in reports of systematic sexual violence, primarily against prisoners of war and detained civilians, as well as peaceful residents in the occupied territories following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022,” Patten emphasized.
Call to action
In conclusion of her speech, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General emphasized that international law by itself, without the political will of states, is unable to protect people.
“We compile these reports not just to count the number of victims; we compile them because the victims count on us. They count on this Council to turn the documentation of crimes into accountability, rights into protection, and atrocities into aid for those affected,” Patten said.
She called on states to strengthen mechanisms for protecting civilians, provide assistance to victims, and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable, emphasizing that sexual violence during conflicts must not go unpunished.
Russia rejects accusations against it
In his speech, the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, Dmitry Chumakov, called sexual violence in the context of armed conflicts “a monstrous manifestation of cruelty, contradicting the foundations of morality and basic humanitarian principles.” He rejected all accusations against Russia, stating that the report “lacks objectivity.” In particular, the diplomat emphasized that the Special Representative’s office does not have direct involvement in the process of verifying the data contained in the document and relies on the UN Human Rights Office in this matter. “Meanwhile, sexual violence is systematically committed by Ukrainian servicemen and security agency officers…”, added Chumakov.
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