In that connection, ASEAN is of the view that the international community, with the United Nations at the centre, must redouble its efforts to address the three interrelated dimensions — namely, the prevention of sexual violence, care for its victims and the empowerment of women.
Fourthly, the full and equal political, social and economic participation of women is key to addressing sexual violence at its roots. The inclusion of women and their priorities in all aspects of a peace process is crucial. Attention should also be paid to both civilian women and those having served in the armed forces or been involved in military activities during their reintegration efforts.
First, the prevention of armed conflict-related sexual violence must be addressed at its root cause, that is, the prevention of armed conflicts itself. Mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution must be implemented.
At the regional level, ASEAN has established the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission of Human Rights and the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children. Initiatives like Stop Violence Against Women and workshops on women, security and peace in ASEAN are also important steps undertaken by ASEAN to raise awareness on the issue.
ASEAN strongly condemns all forms of violence against women and girls, in particular sexual violence. We condemn the use of rape and other sexual violence as a tactic of war to deliberately target civilian populations. ASEAN therefore welcomes the important actions taken by the Council to address that atrocious crime, including its landmark resolutions 1325 (2000), as well as subsequent relevant resolutions and presidential statements.
We emphasize the need for greater attention to be paid to restoration of the rights and rehabilitation of victims of serious violations, in particular in cases of abuse and sexual exploitation.
The natural feedback between protection and participation is probably the core concept emerging from resolution 1325 (2000), in which the Council reaffirmed the important role played by women in preventing and resolving conflicts and in peacebuilding. In that regard, we are concerned over the low representation of women at various levels
Particular attention must also be paid to the need for full adherence to the code of conduct on the part of all those in United Nations contingents deployed in the field, on the basis of zero tolerance.
Lamentably, despite the progress made in recent years, as a troop-contributing country we can say that in the areas of peacekeeping and peacebuilding, civilians, in particular women and girls, continue to be those most severely affected by conflict and in post-conflict situations
