Sudan: Women & Girls Continue to Experience Gender-Based Violence- Press Conference | United Nations

Press conference by Fabrizia Falcione, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Country Representative in Sudan, on the situation in the Country. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Country Representative in Sudan, Fabrizia Falcione said women and girls across Sudan continue to experience gender-based violence in their daily live. “They feel unsafe,” she said. Falcione briefed reporter via video link today (17 Apr) from Khartoum. She said, “women and girls have a persistent sense of danger. 76 percent of the women aged between 25 and 49 have reported feeling unsafe in the displacement camps and sites, but also outside the camps, in markets, water points, in firewood collection areas, roads and streets, particularly at night when going to the latrines in distribution areas, and equally in urban and rural areas.” The UNFPA official noted that reporting cases of gender-based violence remains “extremely difficult,” due to stigma, the fear of retaliation, the financial constraints, as well as the distance from the service provision. Falcione also said, “three quarters of them have indicated that economic empowerment and livelihood as being their priority. “ She said, “I can confirm from all my missions that women want to return, including to Khartoum. They want to return to their homes, to their areas of origin. They ask for three things when I spoken to many of them basic services, access to health, access to schools, particularly for their children, and livelihood opportunities. They don't want to be fed. They want opportunities, income generation of activities, opportunities to be able to feed their families and their children.” On funding shortage, the UNFPA official said, “today in Sudan, the protection sector is funded at 14 percent and the health sector at 11 percent. We keep hearing over and over that this is a protection crisis, particularly affecting women and girls. It is a health crisis and yet the funding are not following neither the definition nor the needs that are being identified.”


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