The case of Roaa reflects the suffering of many women in Sudan, where behind closed doors the same story repeats in different forms, including threats of murder, severe beating, and forced isolation, while society remains silent or offers only temporary sympathy. Roaa Alaa, a deputy anesthesia specialist working in a hospital in Merowe, Northern State, was brutally attacked by her husband who stabbed her 16 times, leading to her death despite doctors’ attempts to save her. This tragic story is part of a long series of domestic violence cases ranging from threats and beatings to murder, with many women living in fear due to lack of real legal and social protection. According to Sudanese lawyer Saad Eldin Mohamed, official data reveals a deeper tragedy: over 3 million women and girls were subjected to gender-based violence before the war escalated, rising to 4.2 million after the conflict began.

The Sudanese criminal law lacks clear provisions criminalizing domestic violence as an independent crime, and personal status laws often grant husbands wide authority over family affairs, sometimes justifying or mitigating violence. Activists highlight that domestic violence is a systematic phenomenon protected by a culture of silence, with perpetrators often tried under general laws without considering the victim’s status as a wife or prior violence circumstances. Despite difficult conditions, state agencies have prioritized combating violence against women by launching hotlines and safe shelters, with plans to enact stricter laws, expand community awareness programs, and train security and judicial personnel to handle domestic violence sensitively.