How does stigma impact victims/survivors of sexual violence during armed conflict?

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) aims to prevent, mitigate and respond to sexual violence through: 

1. direct action (e.g. provision of holistic care for victims/survivors through multidisciplinary programming, risk reduction with communities and prevention through engagement with duty bearers); 
2. referrals to other actors; and 
3. coordination of efforts to address sexual and gender-based violence with Movement partners.

The ICRC engages with victims/survivors of sexual vio­lence, conflict-affected communities, authorities, service providers, survivor-led organizations and others to help prevent sexual violence and reduce community stigma. Since 2022, the ICRC’s Prevention of Sexual Violence Programme carried out an extensive consultation of the risks arising from stigma with 948 individuals, of whom 27 per cent were victims/survivors of sexual violence, and 66 organ­izations, collecting testimonies in 19 countries.

Stigma is a harmful coping mechanism communities may employ to preserve the “whole” by socially sacrificing those parts perceived as a threat to social cohesion. Victims/survivors of sexual violence are blamed for the violence they have suffered due to stigma.

This is known as “secondary victimization”, whereby victims/survivors are subjected to additional forms of physical, mental, and social violence stemming from the initial act. Stigma and victim-blaming undermine individual well-being while eroding social cohesion and weakening the very foundation that enables a community to recover from armed conflict. Due to limited longitudinal analysis or research, however, the impact of stigma in humanitarian terms is frequently underestimated or misunderstood.