500) Sudanese women have been forcibly missing since the beginning of the war.. There are

Since the beginning of the war, many women have been subjected to violence, rape and enforced disappearance; it is noticeable that the rate of assault on women is constantly increasing, especially after the attack of the Rapid Support Militia on the island.. (Al-Sudani) met with the head of the Violence Against Women and Children Unit, Salma Ishaq, and she spoke to us about the unit's objectives, the role of international organizations, and statistics on prisoners and rapists.. Here are the minutes of the dialogue:

*When was the Anti-Violence Against Women Unit formed and where is it located?

The Anti-Violence Against Women Unit was formed in 2005 with a broad mandate that qualifies it to submit reports and set basic standards for combating violence against women. It is a unit that manages the issue of violence against women at the national level, a partner of the United Nations organization concerned with violence against women. Secondly, the unit is a coordination mechanism between the state, the international community, United Nations organizations working to combat gender-based violence, and international organizations working in the same field.

The unit's headquarters before the war were located in (13) states and in all Darfur states except El Fasher. The areas that did not have unit headquarters before the war were the Red Sea, Northern, and River Nile, and units were recently established in them.

The areas that do not have units are West and South Kordofan, Blue and White Niles, and Al-Jazeera State.

*What are the objectives of the unit?

The Women's Combating Unit is the one that sets policies and the technical body that sets draft laws and policies related to gender-based violence and on girls, children, even men and boys. The unit sets national standards for forms of addressing and responding to gender-based violence; the unit is a coordinating body for government agencies and at the level of civil society that provide services.

*Does the unit have a role in reporting cases of violence and rape?

Reporting cases of violence and rape is not done through the unit, but in many cases due to war conditions; the unit communicates with the bodies that provide medical, legal, and health services, and statistics and figures are also obtained through medical services.

*Are there female prisoners in the war?

There are many female and child prisoners, and many women are missing and now the numbers we have are more than (500) missing; despite that, there is no party that has real numbers for women who have been forcibly disappeared; in addition to that there are prisoners who were captured in their homes and prevented from leaving, especially elderly women, as they were used as spies, such as what happened in the Ombada area in Omdurman.

*The role of international organizations in returning kidnapped women?

The role of international organizations is to talk to the kidnapping party, especially the Red Cross, because this is its role, and because the crime has been completely denied, while there are cases of kidnapping and selling, but they have been kept secret by families, especially families who paid ransom to release their daughters; also, publishing at this time is dangerous; but after the war you will find the worst facts.

*Number of rapes since the beginning of the war?

The number of rapes since the beginning of the war is (209) cases, and this is a small number due to the fact that the concentration of health services is very simple and the lack of safe corridors that prevent access to cases and correct information.

*Do you have accurate statistics on the number of rapes that occurred against women and children in Al-Jazeera and Sennar?

What happened in Al-Jazeera, Sennar and Sennar so far we do not have specific numbers, but we have information that there were attacks and eyewitnesses but the lack of services at that time.

The current numbers were obtained from women who were able to leave Al-Jazeera to Sennar before its fall and the surrounding areas to receive services and care; in addition, one of the victims was transferred to Khartoum State to receive services