Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

SpecializedUnited Nations Security Council

TopicConflict-Related Sexual Violence

Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) refers to any type of sexual abuse forced upon women, men, and children linked directly or indirectly to a conflict. CRSV was classified as an international security threat in 2009, and reported cases have continued to rise year by year. Cases of CRSV have more than doubled in the last year, overwhelmingly targeted at women and young girls (around 90%). In 2025, the UN added several new groups to the CRSV Annex, a growing list of both state and non-state actors under probable suspicion of CRSV. The same report stated that 9,788 CRSV cases were properly reported, with UN Special Representative Pramila Patten warning that this number is likely a small percentage of the true CRSV cases worldwide.

Several driving factors have led to this dramatic increase in cases. The first is an increased conflict rate. In 2025, 65 state-based conflicts ranged over 35 countries; the most reported conflicts since World War II (according to the Uppsala Conflict Data Programme, or UCDP for short). There have also been notable restrictions to humanitarian access. The Assessment Capacities Project (ACAPS) reported that in 2025, 44 of 66 countries facing crises faced high to extreme constraints on humanitarian access. Most of those countries are currently engaged in some form of conflict. In the last year, there has been a significant increase in militarization spending, which, combined with cuts to UN-funded programs, has decreased the amount of help available to survivors of CRSV. Those who live in remote locations or border zones are put at risk when the already fragile support systems collapse or cannot reach them. Additionally, frontline responders face increased threats from armed forces, making frontline assistance a rare occurrence. Put simply, increased hostility and global unrest have caused nations that need this humanitarian assistance to pull away and increase militarization efforts.

Several groups also directly contribute to the growing number of CRSV cases. non-state armed groups (NSAGs), which often include organized crime groups, use sexual violence to gain control of communities and material-rich territories. Groups like these can include rebel groups, terrorist organizations, private military companies, cartels, trafficking groups, and illegal arms dealers. Small arms distribution is also an especially damaging factor relating to CRSV because it fuels escalation. State actors and national forces are also a concern. Countries such as the Russian Federation, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have all been reported to be on the CRSV Annex.

The United Nations Security Council has tried to intervene where it can. They have special representatives, such as Pramila Patten, who try to keep the UN as involved and informed as they can as well as an extensive monitoring and reporting system put in place in 2010. They also dispatch Women’s Protection Advisors to oversee peacekeeping missions and prevent CRSV. Additionally, they have implemented targeted sanctions for those who show a repeated and documented pattern of abuse. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been enough.

It will be the job of the United Nations Security Council to navigate crumbling humanitarian access in a time of unprecedented hostility and conflict to reduce and prevent CRSV, and protect the rapidly expanding number of human beings who experience Conflict-Based Sexual Violence.

Focus Questions:

1. How can the Security Council strengthen accountability measures to ensure that perpetrators of CRSV are held responsible, while guaranteeing survivor-centered justice?
2. What immediate steps can be taken to reallocate resources towards prevention, protection and survivor support?
3.  What, if anything, can the UNSC do to quickly and effectively improve humanitarian access in countries that heavily constrict it?

Useful Links:

United Nations CRSV Info Sheet
https://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/auto-draft/202607-UN-annual-report-CRSV-factsheet.pdf

ACAPS Humanitarian Access Report
https://www.acaps.org/en/thematics/all-topics/humanitarian-access-overview

Pramila Patten’s Speech on CRSV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fni_MbOOsto

United Nations CRSV 2025 Report
https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n26/031/26/pdf/n2603126.pdf

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