The United Nations has warned that conflict-related s3xual violence surged globally in 2025, with nearly 10,000 verified cases recorded across 21 conflict-affected countries.
Presenting the UN’s annual report at UN Headquarters, Pramila Patten said the world had witnessed a significant increase in the use of r@pe and other forms of s3xual abuse as tools of war, terrorism, torture and political repression.
“In 2025 documented cases of s3xual violence as a tactic of war, torture, terrorism and political repression marked by extreme brutality and overwhelmingly targeting women and girls increased dramatically,” Patten said.
According to the report, titled “Conflict-related s3xual violence cases more than doubled in 2025, UN warns,” a total of 9,788 cases were verified. However, the UN stressed that the figure reflects only documented incidents and is likely far below the true scale of abuse.
“The figures contained in this report should be understood not as the full picture, but as an indication of a much broader pattern of violations that remain largely unseen and underreported,” Patten said. The report found that abuses included “r@pe, gang r@pe, s3xual slavery, forced marriage, trafficking and abductions committed by both State and non-State actors.”
While women and girls remain the primary victims, the UN also documented cases involving men and boys, particularly in detention settings where such acts were allegedly used as a form of torture. The report further highlighted increased risks faced by LGBTQI+ individuals in conflict zones. Victims ranged from children as young as one year old to adults aged 70, including people living with disabilities.
The UN said many incidents involved extreme brutality, including killings following r@pe and suicides among survivors. “At its heart, this report is about the human suffering of all these survivors and communities living in the shadow of war,” Patten stated. The report also pointed to the role of armed groups and criminal networks, saying non-state actors continue to use s3xual violence to exert control over territories and populations, particularly in fragile and resource-rich regions.
According to the findings, displacement, insecurity and weakened protection systems are increasing the vulnerability of women and girls, especially in border communities and remote areas.The UN warned that restrictions on humanitarian access and funding shortages are making it more difficult to document abuses and provide support services to survivors.
The organisation is calling on governments and the United Nations Security Council to strengthen prevention efforts, improve accountability and expand survivor-centred support programmes.
Among its recommendations are unhindered humanitarian access, stronger monitoring and sanctions mechanisms, support for women’s protection advisers in UN missions, enhanced investigations and prosecutions, and increased funding for medical, psychosocial and legal services. Patten urged world leaders to focus on the needs of survivors rather than political considerations.
“These violations are neither isolated nor confined to a handful of contexts. They are global in scale, devastating in impact and demand a response centred not on political posturing, selective outrage or pre-conceived narratives, but on the rights, needs and dignity of victims and survivors,” she said.