We are fully committed to addressing all forms of violence against women and girls, including sexual violence in conflict. The protection of women in conflict situations and ending impunity remain our utmost priorities

Sexual violence is a form of psychosocial torture where the suffering of the victims extends to their families, and through families reflects the entire society, while the suffering does not cease after the act of violence is committed

Involving women in conflict prevention and mediation and the deployment of women's protection advisers to United Nations peacekeeping and special political missions is crucial to building and reinforcing peace

Furthermore, Belgium shares the Secretary-General's concerns regarding the link between sexual violence and the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of ex-combattant programmes and security sector reform (SSR) programmes. There is a real need to pay particular and additional attention to the gender dimension when planning, training for and developing DDR and SSR programmes.

Belgium would like to underscore, as the Secretary-General did, that the end of a conflict does not mean an end of sexual violence. Post-conflict situations create high-risk environments

Belgium would also like to underscore the importance of ensuring access to effective justice for victims of sexual violence

Belgium is particularly concerned about sexual violence committed by members of the police, the army and some armed groups, in particular in Afghanistan and in Côte d'Ivoire. The climate of impunity, characterized by a lack of disciplinary procedures, sanctions and criminal prosecution, significantly contributes to creating a high-risk environment for women and girls.

We also call upon the members of the Security Council to use all means at their disposal to address sexual violence in armed conflicts, including by making referrals to the International Criminal Court and other relevant actions.

Strengthening civil society, including grass-roots women's organizations and networks that provide assistance to victims and survivors of sexual violence in conflict, can enable the restoration of dignity and respect and provide the necessary skills, treatment and care to empower individuals to protect themselves and defend their rights.

However, our group is concerned about elements in the report indicating the systematic and widespread use of sexual violence as a tool of intimidation and social control. In addition, the report highlights the continued use of sexual violence as a means of displacing populations, as well as the pregnancies resulting from sexual violence and the plight of children born of rape, which requires much more attention