Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

The Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) theme focuses on the incidence and prevalence of violence against women in conflict and post-conflict settings. Polarisation of gender roles, proliferation of weapons, militarisation, and the breakdown of law influence SGBV.

The risk of SGBV is heightened during conflict by aggravating factors, including the polarization of gender roles, the proliferation of arms, the militarization of society, and the breakdown of law and order. The subsequent long-term and complex impacts of SGBV continue to affect individuals and communities after conflict ends.

SGBV is addressed in all five resolutions on Women, Peace and Security. In SCR 1888, the Security Council expresses its intention to ensure peacekeeping mandate resolutions contain provisions on the prevention of, and response to, sexual violence, with corresponding reporting requirements to the Council (OP11). The resolutions deal with protecting women from violence (1820,OP3, 8-10; 1888,OP3,12); strengthening local and national institutions to assist victims of sexual violence (1820,OP13; 1888,OP13); and including strategies to address sexual violence in post-conflict peacebuilding processes (1820,OP11). SCR 1820 also calls for the participation of women in the development of mechanisms intended to protect women from violence (OP10).

Lastly, SCR 1960 creates institutional tools and teeth to combat impunity and outlines specific steps needed for both the prevention of and protection from conflict-related sexual violence. The new “naming and shaming,” listing mechanism mandated in the Resolution is a step forward in bringing justice for victims and a recognition that sexual violence is a serious violation of human rights and international law.

Addressing SGBV is an integral aspect of the overall Women, Peace and Security agenda. SGBV affects the health and safety of women, and also has significant impact on economic and social stability. The Security Council recognises that sexual violence can threaten international peace and security, and that it is frequently used as a tactic of war to dominate, humiliate, terrorise, and displace.

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Let us be clear about what it is we are saying by our inaction. We are saying...

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Let us be clear about what it is we are saying by our inaction. We are saying that it is okay by us when a United Nations civilian staff member commits rape in a United Nations peacekeeping mission, where the host country has no functioning judiciary and when the country of nationality cannot exercise its criminal jurisdiction extraterritorially over the accused because it has no law allowing it to do so. Is that our view?

I do not wish to be misunderstood: if we had done everything we should have d...

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I do not wish to be misunderstood: if we had done everything we should have done over the past nine years to ensure the total elimination of this abominable practice by our own peacekeepers, and they still occurred, then we could accept that there was little more we can do. But we, as Member States, have not done everything, and so we cannot make that claim.

Finally, I ask once again the painful question of whether we as a collective ...

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Finally, I ask once again the painful question of whether we as a collective membership, bound together in this Organization by its Charter, actually have the credibility to offer strong opinions on this subject matter?

Security Council resolution 2106 (2013) provided, for the first time, the the...

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Security Council resolution 2106 (2013) provided, for the first time, the theme of sexual violence in conflict with a comprehensive prevention framework. We believe that the emphasis on prevention is vital if we are ever to defeat conflict-related sexual violence.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, we are helping the Gove...

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In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, we are helping the Government expand and consolidate the special police for the protection of women and children. We will also support the activities of the special representative of President Kabila on sexual violence once that post is filled.

We must stand together to prevent those barbaric crimes, and we must stand un...

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We must stand together to prevent those barbaric crimes, and we must stand united with the victims of sexual violence so they will know that they are not alone

The alarming report that we are discussing today (S/2014/181) finds that sexu...

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The alarming report that we are discussing today (S/2014/181) finds that sexual violence is almost universally underreported

If a nation refuses to prosecute domestic sexual abuse, marital rape and hono...

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If a nation refuses to prosecute domestic sexual abuse, marital rape and honour killings in times of peace, then there is little hope for justice in times of war and conflict.

Last September's Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict...

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Last September's Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict was endorsed by 145 countries, and the United Kingdom will continue its leadership on the issue with a global summit to be convened in June. The Secretary-General has rightly concluded that at the global level there is now unprecedented commitment and momentum for decisively addressing the scourge of sexual violence in combat.

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