COVID-19 and the urgent need to protect Sudanese women against violence

Abstract

Three decades of Islamist rule institutionalized a culture of violence against women in Sudan. The COVID-19 pandemic and state instructed lockdown has led to an acute situation for many Sudanese women suffering domestic abuse, hence reinforcing the urgency to protect them. One of the biggest obstacles is Sudan’s family law, a law that makes it impossible to prosecute domestic violence, especially marital rape. This brief discusses possible law reform, and highlights which steps need to be taken in order to protect women from violence.