I understand that there are many things that are difficult for the Security C...

I understand that there are many things that are difficult for the Security Council to agree on, but sexual violence in conflict should not be one of them. That it is a crime to rape young children is not something that I imagine anyone in the Chamber would not be able to agree on. The rights and wrongs of the issue are straightforward, and the actions that need to be taken have been identified. What is needed is political will, and that is what is being asked of Member States today: to act on the knowledge of what is right and what is unjust and to show the determination to do something about it. Every country in the world is affected by sexual violence in one form or another, from domestic abuse to female genital mutilation. All countries therefore have a responsibility to step forward, but the starting point must be the Security Council, shouldering its responsibilities and showing leadership. To women in refugee camps or those struggling to survive in war- torn communities, there is no greater power in the world that can stand by them. That young Syrian rape victim is here because the Council represents her. That five-year-old child in the Congo must count because the Council represents her. In her eyes, if her attacker gets away with his crimes, it is because the Council has allowed it. The Council sets the bar. If the Security Council sets rape and sexual violence in conflict as a priority, it will become one, and progress will be made. If it does not, this horror will continue.