Sexual and gender-based violence

Sexual violence includes rape, sexual abuse, and sexual exploitation, as well as forced sterilization and female genital mutilation. Victims are usually women (and often children), but a significant minority are men and boys.

In conflict, rape is often used as a weapon against populations or as a “reward” for soldiers. Rape and other forms of sexual abuse are also used as a means of torture and to humiliate, punish, control, injure, inflict fear, and destroy communities.

Men and boys are even less likely than women to report sexual violence, due to fear of stigmatization and to enormous taboos. Sexual violence committed against men therefore remains particularly invisible and under-reported.

Sexual violence can have a wide variety of consequences for physical and reproductive health.

Physical injuries can range from stab wounds, fractures, and bleeding, to vaginal fistulas. People who are sexually abused are also more susceptible to developing a sexually transmitted infection such as HIV. Sexually transmitted infections are more likely to be transmitted by forced sex, since vaginal or anal tears provide an entry for pathogens.

Another medical consequence can be unintended pregnancy. According to the World Health Organization, women who have suffered sexual violence are twice as likely to have an abortion. Unsafe abortions performed in resource-poor settings are a leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide, and for survivors can have other negative reproductive health consequences.

Survivors of sexual violence often suffer from severe psychological effects. It is common for them to feel guilty and to think the incident could have been avoided. A loss of control and trust can also affect a survivor’s ability to form relationships with others. These feelings are often accompanied with clinical consequences such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety.

Many societies stigmatize sexual violence victims, which can cause additional damage to survivors’ mental health. In some cultures survivors are rejected by partners, family members, or communities.