Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

Regarding protection of women and girls from sexual violence, we place high hopes in the new monitoring and reporting mechanism on sexual violence. We trust that expert teams will help strengthen domestic accountability mechanisms. The greatest responsibility, however, lies with peacekeepers on the ground. They are mandated to go into harm's way and protect civilians.

Violence and transnational organized crime, principally manifested in the form of committed crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnappings, assassinations, human trafficking, money laundering, arms trade, the commercial sexual exploitation of women and minors, among other things, are a serious threat both to populations and governments and to our ability to generate wellbeing.

I welcome the steps recently taken by the Guinean Parliament, which approved the criminalization of female genital mutilation and increased the penalties for trafficking of minors.

Warlords who think that they can get away with sexual abuse of women or recruiting child soldiers, should be stopped and held accountable by a united and firmed international community.

Les femmes souffrent de la violence sexuelle devenue desormais une arme de guerre et les enfants-soldats sont utilises avec d'autant moins de scrupule qu'ils sont utilises souvent.

**Statement only available in French.

The struggle against violence towards women is one of the priorities of the government I represent. This past April we created the Ministry for Equality and Well-Being, which has the objective of coordinating all initiatives directed at improving the status of women as well as to promote new policies on gender.

Alors que les atrocités qui continuent d'être commises contre les civils et en particulier la lâcheté criminelle des violences sexuelles, nous saluons le courage et l'engagement de la Représentante spéciale, Mme Margot Wallström en vue de responsabiliser la communauté internationale et d'assurer la mise en oeuvre effective de la résolution 1325, au seuil du 10ème anniversaire de

In the Democratic Republic of Congo impunity prevails and, despite the presence of United Nations forces, outrageous and unacceptable crimes аге committed against civilians, particularly women and children. The reconstruction of Haiti after the terrible earthquake last January, which affected also UN personnel, is taking place under dramatic conditions.

It is indeed a source of pride for Tunisia to be ranked first internationally in terms of fighting violence against women and guaranteeing their right to free movement and ownership, to be ranked first in the Arab world in terms of offering women opportunities of economic participation, and to be ranked first I Africa in terms of women's per capita income.

The recent reports of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with shocking news of hundreds of rapes of women and children, are not isolated incidents. They are a part of a pattern of conflict-related crimes that have been carried out with impunity over many years. As so often in conflict situations, women and children are the most vulnerable groups. As so often in peace process, women are the most ignored.