“We have given our most precious thing and have died inside many times, but you won’t find our names engraved on any monument or war memorial.“

– Aisha, survivor of rape in the 1971 Bangladesh war. (Our bodies, their battlefield)

Sexual violence is often ignored when addressing the atrocities of war. When the horrors of war are discussed, people talk about the mass number of people killed and displaced but they rarely mention the numbers of women and girls raped, trafficked, forcefully impregnated, forced to terminate their pregnancies and exploited. Women and girls throughout history have been deemed as the ‘spoils of war’ and are regarded as objects which can be disposed of and replaced. Perpetrators are rarely prosecuted, and women and girls are often met with mass shame and stigma surrounding the atrocities they have experienced. The consequences of sexual violence in conflict are catastrophic and the true numbers of survivors is unknown. Women and girls rarely disclose their trauma due to victim blaming, social exclusion, and fear.

The UN reported that between 100,000-250,000 women and girls were raped in Rwanda during a 3-month period in the 1994 genocide. 60,000 women and girls were reported to have been raped during the civil war in Sierra Leone from 1991-2002. Research also found that up to 60,000 women and girls were raped between 1992-1995 in Bosnia. The sheer scale of women and girls raped in Iraq, Ukraine, Myanmar, and Syria is unknown as these conflicts continue today.

Sexual violence in conflict is a direct action which is encouraged to control, humiliate, and dehumanise women and girls. This political strategy has been used for centuries and the damage it causes is devastating, it leaves a footprint which impacts future generations for decades.

Women and girls are often forgotten, and their stories often go unheard.

We see you, we hear you, we believe you. 

Our services provide support for women and girls aged 13 and over who have been impacted by sexual violence. This includes those who have experienced conflict-related sexual violence. Follow the ‘Get help’ link for further information on our services. Get Help