UN report reveals conflict-related sexual violence cases more than double in 2025

Verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence have more than doubled globally in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to a United Nations (UN) report released on Friday (29 May). “Cases of conflict-related sexual violence verified by the UN in 2025 rose sharply from 2024, marked by extreme brutality, with women and girls predominantly targeted,” said the UN Secretary-General’s annual report. The report, submitted to the UN Security Council on Thursday (28 May) and made available to the press on Friday, documented 9,788 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2025, double the 4,617 cases recorded in 2024. The report clarified that these documented cases should not be seen as a comprehensive picture, as most violations remain unreported due to ongoing conflicts, insecurity, and restricted humanitarian access hindering documentation, exacerbated by reduced missions and budget cuts where gender-specific and women’s protection capacities are often the first to be slashed. Seventy-seven parties, including state and non-state actors, were listed in the 17th annual report’s conflict-related sexual violence registry, covering 21 conflict-affected countries with verified information. Two new state actors were added: Israel’s military and security forces, and Russia’s military and security forces. Three new non-state actors operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo also featured in the report. The report noted a sharp rise in documented cases of sexual violence used as a tactic of war, torture, terrorism, and political repression, amid worsening overlapping political, security, and humanitarian crises. Civilians faced rape, gang rape, abduction, and sexual slavery by both state and non-state actors. Sexual violence and exploitation in the context of abduction and human trafficking continued to be used as a terrorist tactic. Women and girls who are displaced or migrants face heightened risks of sexual violence. Sexual violence occurred in detention facilities in locations including Israel and Palestine, Russia, and Ukraine, the report stated. Impunity for conflict-related sexual violence persisted in 2025. Overall, compliance by conflict parties with international norms remained low. More than 65 per cent of parties listed in this year’s annex were repeat offenders, having appeared in the annex for five years or more without corrective action, the report stated.