S/2017/249 mechanisms, which generally do not regard rape as a grave crime, and routinely settle cases by ordering victims to marry perpetrators. 60. In 2016, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) documented 577 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence, including rape, gang rape and sexual slavery. The survivors included 57 girls, several of whom were below 10 years of age, with two being less than one year old. In addition, service providers recorded 376 cases of sexual violence, of which 157 were forced marriage, with State and non-State armed actors among the alleged perpetrators. Overall trends point to an alarming increase in the number of rapes, with 20 per cent more victims seeking services following sexual assault. The period under review also saw a 32 per cent increase in the number of cases of gender-based violence perpetrated by men in uniform, as compared with 2015. In addition, cases of abduction for the purpose of sexual slavery more than doubled. The pattern of perpetrators and victims coming from rival ethnic groups persists, with insults often levelled, during attacks, at the victim’s ethnicity or perceived allegiance. 61. The greatest frequency and severity of recorded crimes oc curred in July 2016, in connection with active hostilities. Ethnic targeting, together with that of pregnant women, children and the elderly, in violation of social taboos, indicates that sexual violence is being used as part of retaliation strategies inte nded to punish communities. Reports also implicate the South Sudanese National Police Service in a number of violations. Of the cases of conflict-related sexual violence recorded by UNMISS, 217 were committed between 8 and 25 July, with most occurring at S udan People’s Liberation Army checkpoints near camps, which are designated as protection of civilians sites. Those affected were generally displaced Nuer women and girls, with the majority of perpetrators being members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, although some women also reported attacks by armed youth affiliated with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army -in-Opposition. One mass rape incident involving 16 women and 12 girls occurred at a Sudan People’s Liberation Army checkpoint two kilometres from United Nations House. Survivors reported that, in some villages, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army used sexual violence to punish women who refused to provide information on the whereabouts of their male relatives, accusing them of supporting the opposition. In this connection, UNMISS documented three cases of gang rape, involving three women, with one of the victims being 70 years of age. Also linked with the July clashes in Juba was an episode that generated widespread media attention, in which Sudan People’s Liberation Army soldiers attacked the Terrain compound housing international humanitarian workers, looting, threatening and harassing residents. Several women were dragged out of hiding and raped or gang -raped by soldiers, some of whom were just 15 years of age. The effect of intimidation against female humanitarian workers has been to limit outreach and service delivery. In September, 30 women were sexually assaulted in Juba near protection of civilians sites. Several incidents were also documented in November in Central Equatoria State, allegedly perpetrated by Sudan People’s Liberation Army soldiers. 62. Despite preventive measures by UNMISS, conflict-related sexual violence persists in proximity to protection of civilians sites. Arms beare rs prey upon displaced women when they leave camps to fetch firewood, tend fields or access marketplaces, often raping them and confiscating their goods. In one such incident, in Western Bahr el-Ghazal State, a pregnant woman was gang-raped at gunpoint by 18/33 17-05090