Patricia Whitehorne

The Sudanese war has left many children born after conflict-related rape without birth certificates, nationality numbers or officially recognized identities. A 17-year-old survivor from El-Fasher, identified as Amira, was abducted and raped during the siege before giving birth, but cannot register her son because she cannot provide information about his father. Humanitarian workers say the problem is widespread, especially in Darfur, where stigma, the involvement of underage mothers, destroyed government services and closed civil-registration offices prevent families from reporting abuse and obtaining documents. The lack of registration can block access to vaccinations, healthcare, education, employment and travel. Sudanese law allows registration through the mother after an official report, but legal and humanitarian advocates say wartime conditions make the process largely inaccessible and call for the reopening of civil-registration offices.

Children born from conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan, particularly in Darfur, are being left without birth certificates or national identification because fathers are absent or unknown, civil-registration offices have collapsed, and reporting assaults can be legally and socially difficult. The case of 17-year-old Amira, who says she was abducted and raped by Rapid Support Forces fighters before giving birth, illustrates how undocumented children can be denied vaccinations, education, healthcare, travel and other legal rights. Aid workers and a Sudanese lawyer say the problem is widespread but underreported because of stigma, while calling for accessible registration offices, stronger legal support and protection for mothers and children.