Written By Shoshana Iny

Edited By Elisabeth Ferris

Trigger warning: sexual violence

Sudanese women are disproportionately impacted by the ongoing civil war in their country. Prior to the current civil war, gender inequalities were already rampant in Sudanese society, with the country being “shaped by entrenched patriarchal cultural norms that promote[d] male dominance and female subordination” (UN Women, 2024, p. 3). However, since the onset of Sudan’s civil war in April 2023, human rights violations – especially those towards women – have only worsened (Ochieng & Chibelushi, 2024). Over 54,000 pregnant women have been unable to access adequate healthcare services (United Nations, 2024), and there are growing concerns over ethnic-based acts of violence occurring in the western region of Darfur (Ochieng & Chibelushi, 2024). As Sudanese women continue to endure grave suffering, mediation efforts to calm the conflict have failed to produce results. Still, leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) remain steadfast in their pursuit to control the state and its resources (Center for Preventive Action, 2024). The plummeting access to girls’ education as a result of the Sudanese civil war has been disturbingly underemphasized by many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the international community (Ochieng & Chibelushi, 2024). Justice and protections are necessary for the millions of school-aged girls in Sudan who cannot access education due to ongoing conflicts (United Nations, 2024). The diminishing educational opportunities for Sudanese girls heightens their vulnerability to alarming human rights violations.

The Education Crisis

The civil war in Sudan has severely disrupted educational access for Sudanese women. The ongoing conflict between the SAF and RSF in Sudan has propelled civilian displacement, with over 10.9 million individuals being internally displaced in the country and 2.2 million refugees residing in neighboring countries (OCHA, 2024). As women and girls have been displaced at a higher rate than men, displacement has severely hindered female access to educational institutions. As of September 2024, over 2.5 million girls in Sudan – representing 74 percent of school-aged females at the time – were not enrolled in any kind of formal schooling (UN Women, 2024). Concerningly, the surge of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sudan has resulted in the conversion of over 2,500 schools into temporary shelters, disproportionately affecting Sudanese girls’ access to education (UN Women, 2024). Before the onset of Sudan’s civil war, numerous NGOs and civil society organizations worked tirelessly to address the educational barriers faced by Sudanese girls. For example, the Women’s Education Partnership increased education access for over 600 impoverished Sudanese girls before 2023 (Women’s Education Partnership, n.d.). However, in a powerful article titled “The Work War Has Halted,” the NGO noted that they have been forced to suspend many of their education and literacy programs due to the severity of the conflict (Women’s Literacy Sudan, 2023). As the number of IDPs and out-of-school children rampantly increases, Sudanese girls face limited opportunities to pursue education amidst the ongoing war. 

Further Rights Violations

Article 26 of the Universal Declaration for Human Rights (UDHR) affirms the universal right to education (United Nations, 1948). Over 2.5 million girls in Sudan are unable to exercise their fundamental right to education as a result of the country’s ongoing civil war (UN Women, 2024). Violation of girls’ education rights intensifies their vulnerability to further human rights violations, most notably gender-based violence, marriage rights violations, and female genital mutilation (UN Women, 2024). 

Gender-Based Violence

The education crisis faced by Sudanese women has contributed to the surge of gender-based violence in the country. When women are not protected by safe educational institutions, they become increasingly vulnerable to facing gender-based violence (ACAPS, 2024). By the end of 2023, gender-based violence in Sudan had risen by 100 percent, with UN Women predicting that the rates are even higher today (UN Women, 2024). A particularly disturbing development since the civil war’s onset is the stark increase in gang rape, with female victims ranging from age eight to 75 (UN Women, 2024). Many military groups – most notably those aligned with the RSF – have broken into civilian homes solely with the intention of sexually assaulting innocent females (UN Women, 2024). Moreover, numerous female journalists and civil society leaders have also been targeted by male militants, who employed rape as a means to punish activists who sought increased rights protections for women (UN Women, 2024). The targeting of advocates renders women increasingly vulnerable to gender-based violence, as evidence proves that advocating for Sudanese women can put individuals in danger. The lack of accessible educational institutions for Sudanese females has increased the vulnerability of young girls, leading to a rampant surge of sexual assault incidents. 

Marriage Rights Violations

Education rights violations have also contributed to disturbing marriage rights violations for Sudanese women amidst the ongoing conflict. The United Nations (UN) has repeatedly highlighted that education rights violations amongst Sudanese girls have increased their vulnerability to “harmful practices such as child marriage” (UN, 2024, para. 8). Child marriage has increased dramatically since the onset of the civil war, mostly notably within RSF-controlled areas. For example, in many parts of Darfur, the RSF has abducted young women and forced them into marriage with a soldier (ACAPS, 2024). While most families would not wish child marriage upon their daughters, many parents in Sudan have no option; the RSF has frequently ceased families’ access to essential goods, forcing them to agree to dowry proposals as a means of survival (ACAPS, 2024). Furthermore, many families feel that they must agree to the RSF’s dowry proposals, as the violent army can retaliate against those who refuse (ACAPS, 2024). Article 16 of the UDHR asserts that “[m]arriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses” (UDHR, 1948, para. 30). The increase in child marriages in Sudan disturbingly violates girls’ marriage rights, as they are forced into marriage with violent male militants with no other options. Child marriages that have occurred during the civil war are a concerning byproduct of the lack of education institutions amidst the conflict. 

Female Genital Mutilation

The lack of access to safe educational institutions has further contributed to the increase in female genital mutilation in Sudan. The rapid closure of schools to account for IDPs has rendered Sudanese girls increasingly vulnerable to female genital mutilation (United Nations, 2024). Most commonly imposed on girls under age 15, female genital mutilation refers to procedures that involve the “removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons” (World Health Organization, 2024, para. 1). Although the Sudanese government banned female genital mutilation three years prior to the war’s onset, women and girls are increasingly falling victim to the practice, which is deemed “one of the most egregious violations of human rights” (Ayang, 2024, para. 1). Not only does female genital mutilation violate girls’ health rights and bodily autonomy, but it frequently causes an onset of health problems amongst girls, including severe bleeding, cysts, childbirth complications, and even death (World Health Organization, 2024). In 2024, four years following the government’s ban on female genital mutilation, approximately 80 percent of Sudanese girls were still facing serious risks of being cut (Bonvina et al., 2024). Education is a key factor that works to eliminate social norms surrounding female genital mutilation; without it – Sudanese girls are increasingly vulnerable to the troubling practice (UNICEF, 2022). Diminishing access to safe education institutions has increased Sudanese girls’ vulnerability to health rights violations, most concerningly female genital mutilation. 

Conclusion

The ongoing civil war in Sudan has triggered an education crisis, with the adverse effects being disproportionately felt by girls and young women. The rampant increase in IDPs has left 2.5 million school-aged girls in Sudan out of school (UN Women, 2024). When Sudanese girls cannot access any kind of formal education, they face a direct violation of their right to education. Concerningly, when education rights are violated, girls become increasingly vulnerable to further human rights violations. For example, the lack of access to education for Sudanese girls has contributed to increases in gender-based violence, child marriage, and female genital mutilation – all of which violate women’s fundamental rights and increase gender disparities within the country. Despite various NGOs asserting the calamity of the war in Sudan, the global response to the conflict has been incredibly minimal, with the UN “accusing the international community of ‘forgetting’ the African country” (Ochieng & Chibelushi, 2024, para. 10). The UN, NGOs, and the international community must prioritize the protection of education and basic humanitarian needs for displaced girls, provide increased funding for educational programs, and ensure that NGOs can continue their vital work to uphold education rights. Protecting education access for Sudanese girls is a critical step in halting compounded rights violations, empowering girls to disrupt the cycle of gender inequality in the country.

References

ACAPS Analysis Hub. (2024, January 23). Sudan impact of the war on women and girls. https://www.acaps.org/fileadmin/Data_Product/Main_media/20240123_ACAPS_Sudan_Analysis_Hub_thematic_report_Impact_of_the_war_on_women_and_girls.pdf 

Ayang, P. (2024, February 27). Female genital mutilation continues amid Sudan’s conflict and forced displacement. Equality Now. https://equalitynow.org/news_and_insights/female-genital-mutilation-continues-amid-sudans-conflict-and-forced-displacement/ 

Bonavina, G., & Kaltoud, R., & Daelli, F. C., & Dané, F., & Bulfoni, A., & Candiani, M., & Ciceri, F. (2024, May 11). Women’s health amidst Sudan’s civil war. The Lancet, 403(10439), 1849-1850. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00694-9 

Ochieng, B. & Chibelushi, W. (2024, June 13). Sudan war: A simple guide to what is happening. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59035053 

UNICEF. (2022, February 6). The power of education to end female genital mutilation. https://data.unicef.org/resources/the-power-of-education-to-end-female-genital-mutilation/ 

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (2024, October 1). Sudan Humanitarian Update (1 October 2024). https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-update-1-october-2024 

United Nations. (1948, December 10). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights 

United Nations. (2024, September 27). Women and girls in Sudan disproportionately impacted by ongoing conflict. https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/09/1155056 

UN Women. (2024, September). Women and girls of Sudan: Fortitude amid the flame of war. https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/gender-alert-women-and-girls-of-sudan-fortitude-amid-the-flame-of-war-en.pdf 

Women’s Education Partnership. Our Work in Sudan. https://womenseducationpartnership.org/sudan 

Women’s Literacy in Sudan. (2023, May 7). The Work War Has Halted. https://womensliteracysudan.blog/2023/05/07/the-work-war-has-interrupted/ 

World Health Organization. (2024, February 5). Female genital mutilation. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation