Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

Along with our policies of empowerment, my Government developed a strategy to combat gender- based violence in 2005. We established a unit within the Ministry of Justice to combat violence against women and girls, as well as a specialized police unit within the Ministry of the Interior. We have had a national strategy in place since 2008 to combat female circumcision.

After the outbreak of rebellion in Darfur, the Criminal Act of 1991 was amended to include clauses on crimes against humanity and war crimes and to revise article 149, on rape and adultery.

Spain has also been promoting a number of initiatives in the field of foreign policy, cooperation for development and defence policy to ensure the proper implementation of resolution 1325 (2000).

I would also like to make special mention of the recent report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, which highlights the invisibility of women with disabilities in times of conflict. They are the forgotten ones in wars, refugee camps, reconciliation processes and in terms of access to justice.

There are many persistent obstacles to women's participation and representation in public decision-making processes. An important one is the lack of security. Sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence, as well as a lack of accountability and, consequently, impunity for such acts impede women from actively engaging in public life and decision-making.

Women are not only victims of armed conflicts; they make a significant contribution to preventing and settling them. The direct involvement of women in conflict prevention and settlement is, in our view, an important precondition for overcoming violence against them.

Unfortunately, in spite of the multiple efforts undertaken, the number of women who are victims of various forms of violence in armed conflict is not declining. That is why we believe that equal attention should be paid to all categories of violence, including instances of killing and wounding women and children as a result of the indiscriminate or excessive use of force. That problem is not only theoretical; it exists currently.

Fourthly, we should continue to strengthen efforts to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence. It is disturbing that there are continuing reports of rape and other forms of sexual violence not only in situations of armed conflict, but in the context of elections, political strife and civil unrest.

We are pleased at the growing acknowledgement of the need to address the negative impact of armed violence on women and the need to integrate gender perspectives into disarmament policy and practice, particularly with regard to small arms and light weapons. For most of us, those arms are indeed the real weapons of mass destruction, killing over half a million people each and every year.

With respect to the protection aspect, the Secretary-General's report emphasizes that women and girl refugees continue to fall victim to violations of international humantarian law and refugee rights, in particular with regard to access to humanitarian assistance.