SGBV

As so vividly described in the Secretary-General’s report and by those who have addressed the Security Council today, sexual violence has increasingly become part of the toolbox of terror with which armed groups seek to consolidate their influence and extend their power at the expense of those who are exposed to their predations. Indeed, while sexual violence is often closely linked to gender-based violence, its victims include men and boys as well as women and girls. It is often the case that those who deign to use sexual violence as a tool in conflict see neither gender nor age as any hindrance. That is even more the case with terrorist and violent extremist groups. Some, such as Da’esh, even use the prospect of being able to commit such acts as part of their recruitment strategy.