Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

The Parliament of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is also committed to establishing a parliamentary working group on sexual violence, and the Senate and the National Assembly will hold a special session on the issue. The communiqué presents an opportunity for renewed action on sexual violence prevention and the response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Together we must hold the President to his commitments.

The international community and the Council should insist that no party can be a credible partner in the peace process unless those basic conditions are met. I wish to highlight the fact that the ceasefire signed by the Séléka coalition in January did include explicit reference to sexual violence as part of the definition of that ceasefire.

The fact that preventing sexual violence will be one of the central issues discussed at that conference is an important commitment in itself. It signals that the issue does not remain on the margins of the discourse on peace consolidation in Somalia. Addressing sexual violence is an essential prerequisite for durable peace and development.

In Somalia, our collective efforts over the past months have freed Luul Ali Osman and those who have dared to speak out in support of her cause. Last week, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, speaking to military cadets in Mogadishu, declared that security forces who raped citizens of Somalia would be fought and defeated like any enemy of the State. I commend the President and his Government for their resolve to address the problem.

I also intend to take up invitations by the authorities in Syria, Mali and South Sudan to visit as soon as possible. Conducting country visits will continue to be a key aspect of the mandate. Through such visits, we can bear witness to the plight of survivors and carry their voices to those in power. They are intended to open space locally for dialogue and action on sexual violence.

As the Council is aware, I also visited the Central African Republic in December 2012. Like all of us around this table, I am distressed by the subsequent outbreaks of conflict that have shredded the Libreville Peace Agreement, costing lives and resulting in sexual violence, child recruitment and other grave human rights violations.

Sexual violence in armed conflict is not a new phenomenon and has occurred in several corners of the world. Sexual violence in armed conflict has harmful and lasting economic, social, cultural and health consequences for victims, families and communities, even after the conflict stage has ended. We are deeply concerned about the dire plight of women and girls in situations of armed conflict.

Thirdly, ASEAN member countries are of the view that States must bear responsibility and do their utmost to prevent and address sexual violence in armed conflict. The United Nations and the international community can play a supporting role by providing assistance, by sharing best practices and by helping States to exercise that responsibility.

Secondly, preventing and eradicating sexual violence against women are closely linked to women's empowerment and to gender equality. ASEAN views women as agents of change, who should participate, in a full and equal part, in peace, conflict resolution, peacebuilding and post-conflict processes. In that regard, the continued efforts of the international community to address sexual violence in armed conflict must be supported.

Most recently, the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women adopted the agreed conclusions on the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls. That document was widely hailed by Governments, United Nations officials and civil society as a huge step forward and a historic global agreement in the ongoing efforts to protect women and girls from violence.