United Nations (AP) – Major Reducing humanitarian assistance I’ve left Victims of sexual violence in conflict As clinics and shelters close, senior UN officials warned Tuesday without saving lives.
Pramila Patten, the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflicts, has denounced the crucial services for survivors in the UN Security Council and the broader international community as “the least accessible at the moments that are needed.”
in East Congo was broken in conflictclinics are forced to drive away rape survivors because they can’t provide basic care, she said.
And in conflict Sudan, Ukrainenortheastern Ethiopia Gaza“The healthcare system is being thinned out,” said humanitarian groups, who have to do more by doing less to help victims, Patten said.
She criticized Innovative humanitarian support Without naming the country, she was clearly referring to the US and other major donors.
President Donald Trump I decided to bring the US back From his status as the world’s only largest aid donorhas significantly cut funds that have kept millions of people alive around the world. Even before his movements, many Other donor countries have reduced humanitarian spending.
U.S. ambassador to UN Dorothy Shea highlighted Trump’s commitment to eliminating sexual violence in conflict worldwide and expressed support for the work of Patten’s office, but her remarks to the council did not mention fundraising.
Patten said, “Militarism is in marching; Watches are back to women’s rights“Institutions supporting women affected by conflict are “moving from underfunded to unfunded.”
“Even with military spending soaring, it is said that there is no money to save lives, and the world is spending a lot of it in its arms in 24 hours within a year to deal with gender-based violence in conflict,” she said.
Patten introduced UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ Annual Report on Sexual Violence in Conflictsreleased last week and showed a 25% increase in cases last year.
The UN chief reported that more than 4,600 people survived sexual violence in 2024. Armed groups They carry out most of the abuse, but some Government forces.
The most common cases were in the Central African Republic, Congo, Haiti, Somalia and South Sudan.
Patten highlights the invisible face behind the figure, and, as one example, four members of the police officer, gang-raped and unconsciously dragged out in a dark alley, citing a young woman boarding a bus in the Sudan capital and collecting university diplomas. She is pregnant and has a hard time caring for the baby and dealing with the trauma.
Patten said he hopes the UN Security Council and the international community will take responsibility for their suffering and stand with survivors and organizations that will help them.
“I wish I could say that donors and the diplomatic community would maintain their value and support funds for protection and support,” she said. “But we will see.”
