Beyond Commemoration: Why Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Demands Urgent Global Attention By Mariya SalimCopyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Beyond Commemoration: Why Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Demands Urgent Global Attention By Mariya Salim DELHI, India, Jun 25 2026 (IPS) - Three years ago, during a mission to the Central African Republic from United Nations Headquarters, I met a woman whose story has remained with me ever since. She had survived rape during the conflict. Yet what stayed with her most was not only the violence she had suffered, but the stigma that followed it. When she returned home, her family refused to take her back. In a society where survivors of sexual violence are too often burdened with shame that rightfully belongs to perpetrators, she found herself isolated and struggling to rebuild her life. In that moment, it became painfully clear that for survivors, the violence does not end when the assault ends, it continues through stigma, exclusion, and the resulting silence for most. GlobalSouth News Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) does not end when the act itself ends. Its consequences ripple through families, communities, and generations and that is precisely why more needs to be done to not just address it but prevent it from happening in the first place. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/06/beyond-commemoration-why-conflict-related-sexual-violence-demands-urgent-global-attention/ Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -