The Security Council called today upon warring parties around the globe to implement concrete commitments to fight what many speakers described as the heinous, barbaric and all-too-often silent phenomenon of sexual violence during conflict.
Adopting resolution 2467 (2019) by a vote of 13 in favour to none against, with 2 abstentions (China, Russian Federation), during a wide-ranging debate on the prevention and implications of sexual violence, the Council reiterated its demand for the complete cessation of all acts of sexual violence by all parties to armed conflict.
Calling upon the latter to implement specific, time-bound commitments to combat the crime, the Council welcomed efforts by the Secretary-General, his Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict and other relevant officials in seeking such commitments and implementation plans, aimed at preventing and addressing all acts and forms of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations.
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in the decade since the establishment and mandating of the Office of Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, there has been a paradigm shift in the world’s understanding of the crime of sexual violence in conflict, its impact on peace and security, the responses required to prevent and end it, and the range of services that survivors need. Commending the work of the many actors involved, [he said] their efforts have resulted in a robust normative framework, with an increasing number of Governments having demonstrated their willingness to pursue justice and provide services for survivors.
“Advocacy groups have demonstrated beyond a doubt that sexual violence is deliberately used as a tactic of war, to terrorize people, dehumanize communities and destabilize societies, so that they struggle to recover for years or even decades,”
ANTÓNIO GUTERRES,
The United Nations system has also stepped up its own efforts to address those crimes, he continued, citing the consistent training now provided to peacekeepers on how to prevent and respond to sexual violence in conflict.
“Despite all these efforts, the reality on the ground has not changed,” he said. Sexual violence continues to be a horrific feature of conflicts around the globe, largely impacting women and girls, he affirmed, adding that it is linked to broader issues, including gender inequality and discrimination. As such, prevention must be based on promoting women’s rights and gender equality in all areas, before, during and after conflict, he emphasized.
Spotlighting the links between those issues and violent extremism and terrorism, he said perpetrators of the latter often build their ideologies around the subjugation of women and girls while using sexual violence in ways ranging from forced marriage to virtual enslavement.
“Sexual violence continues to fuel conflict and severely impacts the prospects for lasting peace,” he said, noting that his most recent report on the issue presents recommendations on a comprehensive approach to the issue. Encouraging the Council to include the prevention of such crimes in all its country-specific resolutions and in the mandates of its peace operations — while including conflict-related sexual violence in the work of its sanctions committees — he said that including women in peacekeeping missions boosts reporting and involving them in peace negotiations increases the likelihood of accountability.
He went on to point out that despite a handful of high-profile convictions, impunity for sexual violence in conflict remains widespread, with many crimes never reported, investigated or prosecuted. He added that his recommendations therefore include increasing support to national authorities as they reform laws, improve prosecution capabilities and protect survivors.
PRAMILA PATTEN, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, said that in the 10 years since she received her mandate, “a crime that has often been called ‘history’s greatest silence’ has seized the consciousness of the international community and global action has escalated in an unprecedented way”.
The Council has played a critical role by recognizing that the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war and terrorism constitutes a fundamental threat to international peace and security and that it requires a focused and strategic security and justice response — as well as comprehensive services for survivors.
While stigma and other social barriers contribute to chronic underreporting of the crime, she said, there is now greater understanding of its many forms, drivers and impacts, and prevention has been incorporated into many peace agreements and ceasefire-verification frameworks around the globe.
However, the reality is that the pace of implementation remains slow and criminal accountability for sexual violence in conflict largely elusive, she continued. “We have not yet improved the situation on the ground in a sustained, meaningful way,” she emphasized, pointing out: “Wars are still being fought on and over the bodies of women and girls.”
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