Burundi: rise in sexual violence in 2025 calls for immediate action
At the end of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign (25 November–10 December 2025), the Movement of Women and Girls for Peace and Security in Burundi (MFFPS) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) have published a report revealing more than 200 serious human rights violations in Burundi between December 2024 and October 2025, 70% of which were gender-based violence affecting women and children. The most alarming facts include an increase in sexual violence, femicide and infanticide, as well as violence committed by state agents.
The report highlights widespread and often unpunished violence, reinforced by the stigmatisation of victims. Despite the international commitments made by the Burundian authorities on gender-based violence, gaps in national legislation and inadequate implementation persist. The structural causes of violence include the political and social crisis, gender inequalities and the lack of essential services (health, justice, psychosocial support). Violence has devastating effects on the physical and mental health of victims, on the education and safety of children, and on the socio-economic development of the country.
Based on this analysis, the MFFPS and the OMCT propose a four-pronged strategy, designed as an advocacy tool for national and international actors:
* Prevention: transforming social norms, human rights education and community mobilisation.
* Protection: holistic care for survivors, strengthening services and training institutional actors.
* Reparation: legal support, psychosocial support, economic empowerment.
* Governance and accountability: national coordination, transparency, regular data production and the fight against impunity.
This report is an urgent call to action to end violence against women and children in Burundi and strengthen a protection ecosystem that is currently deeply fragile.
To read the full report in French, click here.