UNITED NATIONS (CMC) — The United Nations (UN) says nearly 10,000 cases of conflict-related sexual violence were documented worldwide in 2025, more than double the number recorded the previous year, as rape, sexual slavery and abduction continued to be used as weapons of war across Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Caribbean.

The UN has repeatedly highlighted the deteriorating situation in Haiti, where heavily armed criminal groups have intensified attacks since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 and continue efforts to destabilise the transitional government.

According to the UN, nearly 1.5 million people in Haiti had been displaced as of May this year, including 95,000 newly displaced between December 2024 and May 2025.

UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said data from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) showed that violence in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area has pushed the number of displaced persons beyond 300,000 for the first time.

“And that’s primarily due to armed clashes in the neighbourhood of Cite Soleil in March and also in May. Fighting is also driving continued displacement in Artibonite department. Overall, nearly 80 per cent of displaced people are outside the capital,” Haq told reporters.

In Haiti, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said it has been treating victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence at its Pran Men’m clinic in Port-au-Prince since 2015.

The humanitarian medical organisation also warned that the worsening insecurity has deepened the vulnerability of women and girls.

The findings were outlined in the UN’s annual report on conflict-related sexual violence released Friday by special representative Pramila Patten, who said the rise in cases reflects worsening insecurity, growing displacement and declining resources available to support survivors.

“In 2025 documented cases of sexual violence as a tactic of war, torture, terrorism and political repression marked by extreme brutality and overwhelmingly targeting women and girls increased dramatically,” she told reporters at the UN headquarters.

The report verified 9,788 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2025, though Patten stressed the figure does not reflect the brutal reality.

“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,” she said.

The report documented incidents of rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage, trafficking and abduction committed by both state and non-state actors across 21 conflict-affected countries.

Women and girls remained the primary victims, although men and boys were also subjected to sexual violence, particularly in detention settings and as a form of torture. LGBTQI+ individuals were also identified as being at heightened risk of persecution and abuse.

Victims ranged in age from one to 70 years old, including persons living with disabilities.

Patten said many cases involved extreme brutality, including killings after rape 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,” she said.

The report also found that non-state armed groups, including organised criminal networks, continued to use sexual violence to intimidate and control communities, especially in territories rich in natural resources.

Displaced women and girls, particularly those in remote or border areas, faced increased risks as support systems collapsed.

The widespread availability of small arms was also identified as a major factor fuelling sexual violence across multiple conflicts. Meanwhile, insecurity, restrictions on humanitarian access and funding shortages have hampered efforts to document abuses and assist survivors.

The report’s annex identified 77 parties responsible for patterns of conflict-related sexual violence, including 62 non-state actors.

Newly listed groups include the Wazalendo armed elements, the Forces nationales de libération and the Mai-Mai group linked to the Union des patriotes pour la libération du Congo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The report also newly listed Russian armed and security forces, as well as Israeli armed and security forces, following UN findings of continued patterns of sexual violence.

The report urged the UN Security Council and member states to strengthen prevention efforts, accountability measures and survivor support systems.

Recommendations included ensuring unrestricted humanitarian access, expanding monitoring and sanctions mechanisms, strengthening investigations and prosecutions, increasing support for women’s protection advisers in UN missions, and boosting funding for medical, psychosocial and legal services for survivors.

“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,” Patten said.