This message contains descriptions of sexual violence. Please read with care.

“I witnessed unimaginable horrors…They would take young women out into the yard, and all night long we would hear the screams of girls and women.” said Layla about her experience being wrongfully detained in Sudan.

Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, we recognize a brutal truth: Sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war in Sudan, Haiti, Ukraine, and conflict zones around the world.

The practice is rampant in Sudan, where over 12 million women and girls are at risk of sexual violence — a shocking 80% increase from just last year.

“I heard those screams for all 19 days I was in that prison.”

Your support can provide essential care to survivors of violence in Sudan and across the world. Your gift today will help end violence toward women and help survivors access the care they need to rebuild their lives.

“One day, a 16-year-old girl was brought back to the cell, bleeding heavily,” Layla recalled. “She came to me, hugged me, and we cried together for an entire day.”

“By the ninth day I decided I wanted to die. I couldn't bear the thought of being raped as well. So I stopped eating and drinking, eventually becoming very sick. They released me.”

The girl was released along with Layla, and, together, they found one of the few places where healing could begin: a UNFPA Safe Space.

Safe spaces are sanctuaries for survivors of sexual violence, offering clinical treatment for rape, trauma counseling, vocational training, and community. For many women, they are the only refuge from violence and despair.

Will you keep the doors open to safe spaces in Sudan and conflict zones around the world with a gift today? Women and girls like Layla are counting on your support.

Dina, a specialist at a safe space, works with survivors like Layla and the girl every day:

“The scale and brutality of violations are beyond anything we’ve previously documented. We have seen numerous cases of teenage girls who have survived rape and sexual violence. Many are left coping with the consequences, including unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and deep psychological trauma. It will take decades to recover from this. Yet the survivors we work with are still fighting to survive, to raise their voices, and to access justice.”

Tragically, the help survivors need is rapidly disappearing.

Since the U.S. government terminated funding for UNFPA’s lifesaving work earlier this year, 11 out of 61 Safe Spaces in Sudan have already closed. Unless we act now, 10,000 more women will lose access to this lifeline.

We simply cannot turn our backs on the women and girls who need us most. Please, will you make a gift to keep safe spaces open and reach survivors of violence with desperately needed care?

Thank you for not turning your back on the women and girls of Sudan.

— USA for UNFPA