Sexual violence against women has been present in all wars and armed conflicts throughout history. This is because, most of the time, it was used as a systematic tool of war, a military pressure card, a way to terrorize those in power and force them to flee, and a military option that goes against all accepted humanitarian and moral principles. Sexual violence against women was not limited to being a horrific individual behavior carried out by only a few soldiers.

Clarifying the concept of sexual violence, its history, its severe effects on women's safety, their psychological and physical health, and strategies for coping with it has become imperative in light of the escalating humanitarian crises in our Arab countries as a result of the ongoing armed conflicts.