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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Preparation for CSW 57

The fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 4 to 15 March 2013.

Themes

Priority Theme: Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.

AFRICA: Religious Leaders Pledge Support in Fight Against Domestic Violence

A new multi-faith initiative, Ubuntu in the Home, aims to harness the power and influence of South African religious leaders to tackle the problem of gender-based violence in the country. At the programme's launch on Tuesday, members of different faith communities lamented the silence that has previously prevailed among them on this topic.

NAMIBIA: Fathers Should Be Role Models

The White Ribbon Campaign Namibia Foundation has released a 15-step guide on how men and boys can make a difference in reducing gender violence.

"Men and boys in their various roles have a responsibility and important role to play in promoting gender equality and ending the violence against women and girls," said Charles Simakumba, founder of the foundation.

BLOG: Genocide in Guatemala, Thirty Years Later

On June 20th, Guatemala asked the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to declare itself incompetent in ruling on a series of massacres against Mayan villagers in Río Negro between 1980 and 1982. More significantly, the State publicly rejected the notion that these were acts of genocide, and Secretary of Peace Antonio Arenales Forno went on to say, not for the first time, that genocide had never occurred in Guatemala.

BLOG: Ending Rape as a War Tactic

By Margot Wallström and General Sir Richard Shirreff

UNHCR Works to Bring the Perpetrators of Sexual Crime to Justice

Kiziba Refugee Camp, Rwanda: The cases of rape and other sexual violence in Kiziba refugee camp are falling, but the physical and emotional consequences are immense when they do occur. The culture of silence among the camp's Congolese refugees makes it even worse, fostering impunity and leaving victims feeling scared and alone.

EGYPT: Tweet and Blog Day Held Against Sexual Violence

Egyptian activists declared Wednesday, 13 June as the day to write about sexual harassment on social websites and blogs in an effort to combat the rising level of sexual violence in the country. The same event took place last year with large success that saw it spread to neighboring countries like Lebanon, Tunisia and Morocco.

Changing Beliefs, Inspiring Change: A Men's Forum to End Violence Against Women in Lebanon

It can be difficult to identify the exact moment that we are touched by change. But Ali Raad, a secondary school teacher from the Lebanese village of Baalbek, can trace one such moment to a community discussion, arranged by a local NGO. “I didn't know what gender was really about until I attended the training,” he recalled, referring to the work of the NGO, KAFA (Enough) Violence and Exploitation.

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