UN Official Concludes Visit to Sudan, Justice Undersecretary Affirms Government’s Commitment to Protecting Women
Port Sudan – Sudanhorizon
Ms. Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, concluded her visit to Sudan this morning, on Thursday, and met with the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice, Counselor Howaida Ali Awad Al-Karim, at her office in the Ministry Complex in Port Sudan.
The Undersecretary affirmed that the Government of Sudan has taken decisive steps to prevent and eliminate conflict-related sexual violence by renewing the cooperation framework based on Security Council Resolution 2467 (2019) to address conflict-related sexual violence, which will be implemented with UN support.
The meeting discussed the efforts of the Ministry of Justice and the obstacles to reporting crimes resulting from sexual violence, whether due to fear or stigma faced by survivors and victims of sexual violence, as well as the repeated attacks on health facilities and service providers.
The media also circulated alarming and widespread patterns of sexual violence since the beginning of the militia war against the Sudanese people.
For her part, Ms. Pramila Patten noted that the agreement between the United Nations and the Government of Sudan aims to end the cycle of impunity that has been the root cause of decades of ongoing violations. It also signals a collective commitment to ensuring that the horrors of sexual violence become a specter of the past rather than a future.
“The Rapid Support Forces and allied militias have overwhelmingly been implicated in systematic and/or widespread sexual violence against civilians,” Ms. Pramila Patten said, according to the UN website today.
During this visit, Special Representative Patten met with the Vice President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Malik Agar; the Ministers of Defense, Foreign Affairs, Interior, Justice, and Social Development; the Attorney General; and the Head of the Unit for Combating Violence against Women. She also met with the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator a.i., the UN Country Team, gender-based violence service providers, and women-led organizations. She visited assistance facilities, including shelters and safe spaces for women, where she heard firsthand accounts from survivors.
The UN website added that the Government of Sudan welcomed the offer by Ms. Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, to deploy a technical team to support the development of an implementation plan. The Ministry of Social Development will lead this process and will involve other relevant national authorities and institutions, including the Sudanese Armed Forces.
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