United Nations: 76% of Sudanese women feel unsafe amid escalating violence and funding shortages

April 18, 2026 (PEN) A study by the United Nations Population Fund revealed that 76% of Sudanese women, aged 25 to 49, feel unsafe both inside and outside displacement camps, amid escalating gender-based violence and a lack of funding for protection.

The Fund's representative in Sudan, Fabrizia Falcioni, explained that women face harassment and sexual violence during displacement and inside camps, noting that pregnant women are forced to walk at night in the dark to reach toilets.

She added that hundreds of cases go unreported due to social stigma and fear.

According to the United Nations, the study, which included 1,000 women in 16 states, showed that funding for the protection sector does not exceed 14%, while funding for the health sector does not exceed 11%. The United Nations also manages only 88 safe spaces for women.

The results indicated that 75% of women are demanding economic empowerment and job opportunities, instead of relying solely on humanitarian aid.

Falcioni concluded her statement by urging the international community not to abandon Sudan, stressing that "funding is not keeping pace with the scale of the crisis."