Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

In her secret report submitted to the Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities, the Special Representative gave long, detailed descriptions of the flagrant acts of sexual violence committed by Da’esh, the Al-Nusra Front and their affiliates against Syrian and Iraqi women.

It is important to reiterate that sexual violence is always unacceptable. However, its widespread use as a terrorist tactic and a weapon of war and terrorism remains of particular concern because it is one of the most cruel and terrifying forms of social coercion, especially when used as a strategy to control and intimidate entire communities and undermine the dignity and autonomy of people at their deepest levels.

The unprecedented increase in sexual abuse and exploitation during armed conflict in recent years is indeed alarming. Mexico therefore echoes Secretary-General António Guterres’ call to urgently address the issue and raise awareness about the situation of vulnerability in which millions of people live, in order to seek effective solutions to the phenomenon.

With that in mind, the despicable acts perpetrated against women and girls by terrorist organizations, such as Da’esh and Boko Haram, deserve every condemnation. The use of sexual violence, including the sale and trade of women and girls, as a tactic of terror by Da’esh in Iraq and Syria reflects the appalling nature of that terrorist organization.

The term “conflict-related sexual violence” covers a wide range of sexual violence, including rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, forced sterilization, forced marriage, as well as trafficking in persons, when perpetrated in situations of conflict for the purpose of sexual violence or exploitation.

Fourthly, while men constitute the large majority of perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict, we should be mindful that men and boys are also victims. It is therefore imperative that the States Members of the United Nations ensure that any gender analysis considers the impact of sexual violence in conflict on men and boys as well as women and girls.

Despite our efforts, in many theatres of conflict women continue to be the primary victims of large-scale, often systematic, sexual violence. Actions committed by Da’esh or Boko Haram show the most extreme forms of such violence, which particularly targets women and children. For those terrorist groups, sexual violence is a weapon of war, but also a source of financing and a recruitment tool.

As the report (S/2017/249) of Secretary-General makes clear, we are also confronted by new challenges. Sexual violence is increasingly used as a tactic of terrorism, employed by extremist groups in places such as Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Nigeria and Mali to advance their military, economic and ideological ends.

Today sexual violence in conflict must be fully addressed in all its dimensions, as it is linked, directly or indirectly, to the nature of conflict, the profile of the perpetrators and the nature of violence in its horrific forms. The escalation of sexual violence in conflict has reached alarming and unprecedented proportions.

Today we have heard devastating stories of the experiences of women and girls living in situations of armed conflict. They are victims of sexual violence, rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution and sterilization and other forms of sexual abuse.