Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

Kenya welcomes the leadership shown by the United States in convening this debate during its presidency of the Council. My delegation also welcomes the report of the Secretary General (S/2010/604) on the implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009), and supports the progress described therein while taking note of the remaining challenges.

"We must also provide protection for women and ensure that putting a stop to war-related sexual violence is prioritized at the international level. We laud the crucial work being carried out by agencies such as UN Women, the United Nations Population Fund and UNICEF to deal with such issues.

"The lifelong negative effects on victims and perpetrators alike of the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war, as highlighted in the Secretary-General's report, buttress the call for prevention of conflict and, where conflict exists, for expedient action in ending the conflict.

"My delegation welcomes the appointment of Margot Wallström as the first Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict to provide coherent and strategic leadership in the fight against this vice. We wish her the very best in executing her mandate.

"Kenya condemns all forms of violence against women, including sexual violence, and has always urged compliance with humanitarian and human rights law during times of conflict. The appalling situation regarding the atrocities of sexual violence meted out against women and girls in conflict situations, especially in the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa, have to be looked at seriously.

"In armed conflicts, civilian casualties far out-number those of armed combatants. While women and men alike suffer human rights violations in conflicts, women and girls are more likely to be the targets of sexual violence, especially rape.

"My delegation appreciates the very important role that women's protection advisers will play in protecting women and girls from sexual violence. Their support for the monitoring, analysis and reporting system on sexual violence and their facilitation of dialogue with parties to conflict are welcome.

"In his report, the Secretary-General brings to light how conflict-related sexual violence has become a threat to human security, especially for women and girls. The report also highlights how such violence is an impediment to socio-economic development and peacebuilding efforts in countries emerging from conflict situations.

"I wish to conclude by reiterating my country's commitment to the full and timely implementation of all Security Council resolutions against sexual violence, including resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1960 (2010). Beyond that, we call on all parties to conflicts to make specific and time-bound commitments to ceasing all acts of sexual violence."

Thirdly, sexual violence is never a by-product of conflict and it can be prevented. As the SecretaryGeneral's report underlines, we need to focus not only on collecting timely and reliable information, but also on analysis of trends and patterns of sexual violence.