Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

Accountability is first and foremost the responsibility of each State. Therefore, national capacities need to be supported and built. Justice- and security-sector reforms are essential. When effective prosecution in the State concerned is not possible, the only way to achieve justice for victims and survivors is to have those cases transferred to an international jurisdiction, including to the International Criminal Court.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, impunity with respect to mass rapes has long been the rule. There has recently been a degree of progress. That is why we call upon the Congolese authorities to pursue their efforts to prosecute those responsible for the rapes in Minova, including the commanders of the Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo, with the necessary rigour.

In a second success, shame has changed sides. It now weighs on the executioner and not on the victim. The Secretary-General's list of shame exposes to the whole international community the parties that are using sexual violence in an orchestrated and systematic manner and provides United Nations missions with a solid basis for initiating a dialogue with such groups.

Sexual violence is a weapon as old as war itself. Thanks to the action of civil society, our Council has been seized of the matter and broken the complicit silence that has surrounded that abominable crime. However, this is not the time to celebrate. We have failed to protect civilians in Syria. Women, men and children are being sexually abused there, even as we speak.

Before concluding, I would like to add one point that remains important for France. In peacetime, but even more so during war, access to sexual and reproductive health services is indispensable. We know that women and girls exposed to sexual violence run the risk of premature and unwanted pregnancies.

Although I have spoken of our failure in Syria, the fight against sexual violence has also had its share of victories. First, we have put an end to silence. From a silent form of evil that was understood to be an inherent part of war, we have made sexual violence an issue affecting international peace and security.

We welcome the steps taken towards a consolidated approach to conflict-related sexual violence and, more broadly, to the issue of women and peace and security, as well as the progress made in moving from the principles and goals established to creating operational measures and tools. We must live up to our political commitment through concrete and measurable action.

We must stay focused on combating sexual violence. I can assure the Council that the European Union will do its part to contribute to that goal.

The European Union continues to implement its dedicated policy on women, peace and security, including through close cooperation with other international and regional organizations. In that regard, we welcome the designation of Ms. Bineta Diop as the African Union Commission Chairperson's Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security.

In South Sudan, we are very concerned about the recent reports from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan of targeted killings of civilians based on their ethnic origins and hate messages calling for sexual violence against people on the basis of the community they belong to. We are also concerned about women's participation in conflict prevention, resolution, protection and peacebuilding processes.