Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

The Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) theme focuses on the incidence and prevalence of violence against women in conflict and post-conflict settings. Polarisation of gender roles, proliferation of weapons, militarisation, and the breakdown of law influence SGBV.

The risk of SGBV is heightened during conflict by aggravating factors, including the polarization of gender roles, the proliferation of arms, the militarization of society, and the breakdown of law and order. The subsequent long-term and complex impacts of SGBV continue to affect individuals and communities after conflict ends.

SGBV is addressed in all five resolutions on Women, Peace and Security. In SCR 1888, the Security Council expresses its intention to ensure peacekeeping mandate resolutions contain provisions on the prevention of, and response to, sexual violence, with corresponding reporting requirements to the Council (OP11). The resolutions deal with protecting women from violence (1820,OP3, 8-10; 1888,OP3,12); strengthening local and national institutions to assist victims of sexual violence (1820,OP13; 1888,OP13); and including strategies to address sexual violence in post-conflict peacebuilding processes (1820,OP11). SCR 1820 also calls for the participation of women in the development of mechanisms intended to protect women from violence (OP10).

Lastly, SCR 1960 creates institutional tools and teeth to combat impunity and outlines specific steps needed for both the prevention of and protection from conflict-related sexual violence. The new “naming and shaming,” listing mechanism mandated in the Resolution is a step forward in bringing justice for victims and a recognition that sexual violence is a serious violation of human rights and international law.

Addressing SGBV is an integral aspect of the overall Women, Peace and Security agenda. SGBV affects the health and safety of women, and also has significant impact on economic and social stability. The Security Council recognises that sexual violence can threaten international peace and security, and that it is frequently used as a tactic of war to dominate, humiliate, terrorise, and displace.

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BLOG/DIALOGUE: To Stop Sexual Violence, it's Time to Look in the Mirror

The world is waking up to the fact that sexual violence is wreaking havoc on the lives of women and communities in conflict zones—and poses a real threat to lasting peace. Though as we applaud this growing international consciousness about how sexual violence stands in the way of progress, we can't help but wonder when African leaders will have the same awakening.

ONLINE DIALOGUE: Mallika Dutt: Violence Against Women is Everyone's Problem

One is far too many. Two begins to boggle the mind. Two in one week—it's almost impossible to find words. And in fact, the rape and murder of two tiny girls, only four and five years old—one in New Delhi and the other in the Punjab province—are only the most recent, and publicized, instances of rape and child sexual abuse in India.

ACTION: Egypt: End Sexual Violence Against Women Protestors

Violent sexual assaults against women, including rapes, have surged in the vicinity of Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square in recent months. The violence increased in scale and brutality on January 25, 2013. This day of protests marked the second anniversary of the start of the 2011 uprising that ousted President Mubarak.

BLOG: Comments on the UN Commission on the Status of Women

As all our 193 governments met at this year's Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at UN Headquarters, the thousands of activists, NGOs, and even government delegates were worried that a failure would signal a lack of political will to advance women's rights. Tensions were high. There was a real risk that the Commission, like last year, would fail to agree on an outcome document.

CONFERENCE: Congolese Women Demand Discussions on the "Intervention Brigade" in the DRC

Congolese women and women from Burundi, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Uganda who took part in the Women's Peace Dialogue held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo April 5-6, 2012 demanded discussions on the formation of the first Intervention Brigade that will operate in the eastern part of the DRC.

PRESS RELEASE: Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Reaction to the Adoption of the First Ever Arms Trade Treaty

Today, governments adopted the text of the first ever Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) at the United Nations in New York. The treaty, which prohibits the sale of arms if there is a risk that the weapons could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law, is the first ever treaty that recognizes the link between gender-based violence and the international arms trade.

RESEARCH: From Afghanistan to Syria: Women's Rights, War Propaganda and the CIA

Women's rights are increasingly heralded as a useful propaganda device to further imperial designs.

Western heads of state, UN officials and military spokespersons will invariably praise the humanitarian dimension of the October 2001 US-NATO led invasion of Afghanistan, which allegedly was to fight religious fundamentalists, help little girls go to school, liberate women subjected to the yoke of the Taliban.

BLOG: My Broken Dream for Iraqi Kurdistan

We hoped the end of Ba'athist rule would bring a new era of civic freedom. But for women especially, Iraq has become a prison.

In 2003, I dreamed that once Saddam's Ba'athist regime had tumbled, we could at last live in peace. Today, I wonder if the Ba'athist culture of despotism, repression and violence can ever be expelled.

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