Since the primary responsibility falls on the nation State itself, there should be appropriate domestic law enforcement and justice mechanisms dealing with sexual violence in conflict with well-resourced and equipped institutions that can provide the needed care.

Indonesia stands for zero tolerance of sexual violence against all citizens — women, children and men — in armed conflict. To that end, the effort should not be limited to focusing on improving the prosecution and elimination of impunity against cases of sexual violence in conflict.

In conclusion, I want to underline the importance of the empowerment of women. Effective policies backed by action to accord them their due rights and equal opportunities will be critical to bolstering the overall work on preventing sexual violence against women and other citizens in conflict.

History has proven their credentials in creating peace. The policies of the United Nations system and outside it should therefore promote extensive measures to ensure the greater participation of women at all stages from conflict prevention to resolution, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.

At this juncture, Indonesia has deployed female peacekeepers in several missions, including the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, and it is committed to increasing the number of its female peacekeepers.

As a country that places high priority on providing conditions for its citizens in which they can live freely without fear and develop, Indonesia strongly believes that the first endeavour should be to build a culture of peace and tolerance and prevent armed conflict itself.

Sexual violence is a repugnant and criminal phenomenon that is closely linked to insecurity and the impunity associated with a weak institutional framework for the rule of law. Those issues have been very present in earlier debates of the Council, as well as those, in other contexts, in the General Assembly, including the work in progress on the post-2015 development agenda.

In our own internal conflict, which ended more than 17 years ago, there remain victims and consequences of the atrocities committed, and that has helped us to produce legislation on violence against women and girls so that they can live in a stable and democratic society.

They need a seat at the table at all levels of conflict prevention, peace negotiation, transitional justice and reconstruction. It is not enough to just let them be observers of decision-making processes. That is especially important not only at the local level but also in the national and international context. The United Nations needs to ensure that women are involved in all United Nations-led peace and reconciliation talks.

Secondly, it is well known that sexual violence is a prevalent element in most armed conflicts and is sometimes even used as a tactic of warfare. Recent events in South Sudan, where radio broadcasts were used to incite sexual violence, are a stark reminder of that appalling reality. Most perpetrators still go unpunished and are not held accountable for their actions. Those actions destroy the lives of women, children and whole communities.