SGBV

Fourthly, while men constitute the large majority of perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict, we should be mindful that men and boys are also victims. It is therefore imperative that the States Members of the United Nations ensure that any gender analysis considers the impact of sexual violence in conflict on men and boys as well as women and girls.

We are outraged by the persistent and widespread occurrence of sexual violence in armed conflict by State and non-State actors, as documented in the Secretary-General’s latest report (S/2017/249). Sexual violence is increasingly used as a tactic of warfare and is a flagrant and unacceptable violation of international humanitarian law and of international human rights law. We are all too aware that the already staggering numbers of reported cases of sexual violence in conflict represent a mere fraction of their true number. Furthermore, sexual violence in conflict has become both a cause and a consequence of forced displacement.

We are appalled by acts of sexual violence, including rape, child, early and forced marriage, and enslavement, committed by terrorist groups. Moreover, we are alarmed that such acts have become part of the strategic objectives and ideology of certain terrorist groups, including as a means of recruitment, financing, intimidation and the destruction of communities, in line with resolution 2331 (2016). Such heinous acts must be put to an end, perpetrators must be brought to justice and victims and survivors of such crimes must be assisted in a comprehensive manner in order to fully recover from such violations and be able to reintegrate into their societies.