Africa: Breaking the Silence Over Sexual Violence Against Men and Boys in War

What the report says

UN News, via AllAfrica, reports that conflict-related sexual violence against men and boys remains widely hidden even as women and girls continue to account for most verified victims. The article says the UN is urging governments, humanitarian groups and justice systems to better recognize male survivors so they can access medical, psychological and legal support. It frames the issue as a documentation and protection gap rather than a new trend, noting that stigma, fear, detention conditions and weak research make many cases difficult to record.

The report highlights detention as a recurring setting for abuse. It cites a Ukrainian former prisoner of war released in 2025 who described rape, forced nudity, beatings and electric shocks during three years in detention. According to the UN material quoted by the publisher, Ukraine is one of several conflicts where male survivors have been verified, alongside Gaza and the West Bank, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Haiti. The article also says UN figures for 2024 showed women and girls made up 93% of verified victims, with men and boys accounting for 7%, while the true scale is believed to be much higher because most cases go unreported.

The UN says recognition matters because it can open the door to survivor-centered services and accountability. The piece points to UN-backed counselling, rehabilitation and peer support efforts in Ukraine, and to guidance for aid workers in displacement settings. It argues that acknowledging male survivors does not diminish attention to women and girls, but helps close a major gap in conflict response.