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Since 15 April, the number of people in need of GBV services in Sudan has increased by over 1 million to 4.2 million people.
The number of individuals targeted for GBV services has increased to 1.3 million, with an increase of over 900% of targeted individuals in states that are heavily impacted but still accessible.
To reach these targeted individuals, the GBV AoR Sub-Sector Sudan has included USD 62.8million in the revised 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). As of mid-May, only USD 4 million has been made available for GBV prevention and response in Sudan.
Humanitarian access is a major issue and in the least accessible, conflict-affected states, only 10% of service providers are operational. However, in states where access is feasible, 90% of GBV actors are currently operational.
What we know:
All forms of GBV are increasing.
Since 15 April, the GBV sub-sector in Sudan and service providers have received surging reports of cases of GBV, including sexual violence, particularly against internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing from one state to another and when homes are being looted, as well as an increased number of domestic violence cases. There are also extremely high risks of sexual violence and of exploitation as women and girls are displaced, in transit, in temporary shelters, and while awaiting visas at border crossings, and as the prices of basic goods – including food, water, and fuel - are skyrocketing and cash is almost impossible to obtain.
Lack of access and lack of supplies are two of the most serious challenges to service provision.
Access to services is severely curtailed by ongoing fighting, as well as destruction of goods and properties, and looting of medical supplies and facilities, including health centers and hospitals. While both GBV and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services continue to function in many states, there are severe shortages of supplies and medications, including clinical management of rape (CMR) kits, dignity kits, female hygiene supplies and other life-affirming and life-saving care. Given the centralization of warehouses/pre-positioned supplies and international staff and coordination systems in Khartoum, fighting and destruction of property there are of critical concern.
Need to scale-up sub-national GBV Coordination
State-level GBV Working Groups are operational in 9 states , and have updated referral pathways to reflect the current limitations in services and access; CMR mapping for all states in Sudan has been updated, but the situation is fluid.
States that previously had no GBV working groups in place, as they were not humanitarian settings (such as River Nile, Al Jazirah, Northern and Red Sea states), will need to establish these groups and GBV service provision and referrals in order to serve IDPs, while dealing with interrupted supply chains across the country. Additionally, the heavy flooding that recurs seasonally in Sudan - peaking from June to September - may further increase needs, with GBV Working Groups needing to conduct preparedness and contingency planning.
Local networks and community-based organizations are the key to service provision.
Local networks and organizations, including women’s organizations, community committees, and volunteer communitybased protection networks, are continuing to operate and increasing their mobilization to support Sudanese women and girls. Local organizations’ capacity to respond is greatly enhanced by previous capacity sharing, coordination, and training efforts in the country, where the GBV AoR Sub-Sector was active in 9 states prior to the conflict. National/SubNational GBV Coordination groups also play key roles in building the capacity of local actors, to ensure safe, ethical, and quality GBV service provision. The GBV Sub-Sector has trained 215 GBV actors on GBV in Emergencies and remote service provision within the last 4 weeks since the conflict started.