Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

The International Criminal Court is the only international tribunal whose statute explicitly refers to sexual and gender violence as crimes against humanity.

Needless to say, in such circumstances social norms get stripped away and sexual attacks all too often become a weapon of war. Such violence leaves behind hundreds of thousands of victims, all of whom are left traumatized and stigmatized for life. Those hideous acts affect whole communities and remain vividly remembered for generations, as seen in the Western Balkans and Rwanda.

Let us recall that Slovenia, together with Netherlands and Belgium, presented an initiative aimed at improving the international framework for mutual legal assistance and extradition in cases involving the investigation and prosecution of the most serious crimes of international concern, including sexual and gender violence as crimes against humanity.

It is therefore of paramount importance to look beyond prevention. The investigation of cases of sexual violence in conflict and the holding of perpetrators of sexual violence in armed conflict accountable are also of great importance. Ending impunity is pivotal in addressing sexual violence in conflict. Only that can serve as a strong deterrent for such actions.

Finally, let me inform the Council that these pertinent issues will also be on the agenda of the Bled Strategic Forum, a high-level strategic dialogue among leaders from the private and public sectors to be held in Slovenia in early September of 2013.

This shows the importance of taking into account sexual violence in the context of preventive diplomacy, particularly when ceasefire agreements are reached between warring parties. In that connection, I support the recommendations made by the Secretary-General to establish monitoring mechanisms for the commitments entered into by parties during the good offices process, in line with resolution 1960 (2010).

That leads me to welcome resolution 2106 (2013), which the Council has just adopted and which places victims at the heart of efforts to combat sexual violence and to improve conflict resolution. On that basis, efforts to combat this scourge should be based on adequate prevention as well as on accountability, which helps to dissuade people from committing these crimes once again.

Only a strong message, backed up by a holistic strategy on the part of the international community, will lead to the control of that phenomenon, which entails such disastrous consequences for maternal and child health, populations, international peace and security as well as for our people's well-being.

Moreover, it is important to underscore the fact that the prevention effort is also a collective one, as it transcends borders and deals with a phenomenon that poses a serious threat to peace and security throughout the world.

In that context, I express my condemnation of the new trend of using sexual violence in order to gain illegal access to natural resources. Beyond undermining morale and trampling the dignity of the people who are the victims, those crimes also seriously undermine the development efforts of countries already suffering the effects of poverty.