Examples from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, the DRC, Nigeria, South Sudan and Sudan
Key findings
• Food-related livelihood activities such as tending fields, foraging for food or fetching water make women and girls vulnerable to conflict-related sexual violence attacks in conflicts where conflict parties use such violence.
• The scarcity of food during conflict forces women and girls to travel further from their villages in search of food or water, increasing the likelihood of their encountering armed groups operating in the area who may use sexual violence as a form of weapon or for other related reasons.
• Some conflict actors use sexual violence as part of their strategy in attacks on communities and their livelihoods, together with looting and burning food stocks or fields.
• Both the threat and actual experience of conflict-related sexual violence impact the wellbeing of women and girls (as well as their wider families) and affect their ability to provide food and care for their families.
This report examines 81 examples of sexual violence committed by conflict parties across Africa, the Middle East and Asia between January 2020 and January 2023 to better understand the complex links between conflict-related sexual violence and food insecurity.