Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

I would like to touch upon three more concepts that we deem necessary when addressing impunity. The first is reparations. They are a form of transitional gender justice and contribute to truth and reconciliation.

Finally, raising awareness at the local, national, regional and international levels is key to combating impunity. Many remain silent before sexual violence, in the fear of being targeted, attacked, stigmatized or shamed. We must ensure that raising one's voice against this despicable crime becomes the norm, rather than the exception.

Women and girls continue to be the victims of violence of all kinds during and after armed conflict, despite all the efforts being made to prevent it.

We must address the issue of impunity through the adoption of strict provisions. In this regard, the United Nations should assist States in developing or establishing mechanisms of cooperation through bilateral or regional agreements for the arrest and extradition of alleged perpetrators of violence against women and girls.

There can be no doubt that atrocities against women and girls will continue to be committed if their authors have no fear of being caught and if aggressors are not prosecuted and punshed. We believe that verbal condemnations and promises to act are no longer enough. We must go further by seeking to further educate not only military and Government leaders, but also rebel movements.

Despite all the difficulties and the need to ensure the protection of women and girls in armed conflict and to prosecute their attackers, there is still the hope that combating such violence will succeed thanks to the commitment and efforts of the international community. We wish to commend the efforts of UN-Women, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and many international and non-governmental organizations to that end.

As we noted in our statement on this issue in April under the Rwandan presidency (see S/PV.6948), the main underlying causes of the violence include poverty, poor governance, the democratic deficit, revenge and the desire for racial domination and to impose one's culture or religion.

My country has sent several official letters to Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bangura detailing documented information on the responsibility of armed terrorist groups for acts of rape, sexual violence and murder against women in Syria.

It is truly shameful for the apartheid Israeli regime to speak of women's rights and combating violence against women while its soldiers and settlers continue their daily aggression against Palestinian women, men and children, in addition to the violence practiced in its detention centres and prisons, tantamount to the worst forms of human rights violations.

I would also like to address the crimes that have been perpetrated against Syrian women and girls displaced to neighbouring countries.