General Women, Peace and Security

We must continue to speak up for the women, girls, men and boys whose bodies for too long have been considered the spoils of war.

Women and girls with children may need special medical and psycho-social support, and this must extend to the children themselves, who can suffer complete rejection.  
The shame and social stigma faced by these women and children should be redirected towards the brutal perpetrators of violence.

The deployment of women protection advisors to peacekeeping and political missions has strengthened monitoring, analysis and reporting of conflict-related sexual violence and engagement with parties to conflict -- vital steps towards accountability.

We cannot emphasize enough the urgent need to curb the flow of guns and other weapons, which exacerbate levels of sexual and gender-based violence. The Security Council must confront this issue, including by encouraging states to ratify the Arms Trade Treaty and establish enforceable national and regional regulations on small arms, consistent with CEDAW General Recommendation No. 30.

The UN Security Council must dramatically improve its daily implementation of women, peace and security. It must better link protection efforts with women’s participation and rights, and call on mission staff to hold regular consultations with women’s local civil society organizations, and with women and girls in displacement settings.

Documentation of combatant violence committed against all marginalized persons must be supported. For example, in Iraq and Syria local and international groups are documenting human rights abuses committed against women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex (LGBTI) persons, and other minorities who defy gender stereotypes.

All governments, including those on the Security Council, must condemn the increased crackdowns on women human rights defenders and women’s organizations. All national security strategies, including those relating to preventing and combating violent extremism, should be grounded in a human rights framework and adhere to international humanitarian law. 

Refugee women and girls are often unable to access basic services, including the full range of sexual and reproductive health care, psychosocial support, and access to justice. The protection risks that women and girls face in humanitarian crises are compounded by the shame and stigma that accompany sexual violence.