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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OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Palestinian Women Recent Cases of Domestic Violence

Four recent cases of women slain allegedly at the hand of either a husband or father have prompted women and human rights groups to demand tougher Palestinian laws against domestic violence.

Several female activists marched through the streets of Bethlehem on Thursday demanding justice for women in a patriarchal and traditional society. They also demanded severe punishment for men who kill or batter a female family member.

PAKISTAN: Pakistan's Tribal Justice System: Often a Vehicle for Revenge

Suleman Khan demanded justice from the tribal elders. His wife had slept with another man, he said, and he wanted their permission to seek revenge. The elders deliberated for an hour, and then announced their verdict: Punish the man and his family any way you see fit.

DRC: Women and Children Ravaged by Congo Conflict

For the first time in the three-month long uprising in eastern Congo, more civilians are being injured than soldiers—most of whom are reported to be women and children.

While those responsible for the current rebellion in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are largely members of the M23 mutiny, the face of the rebellion is undeniably innocent—for it is now the faces of women and children.

COLOMBIA: Acid Attacks Reflect Rage

Every glance at a mirror transports Consuelo Cordoba to the moment when her boyfriend doused her with a skin-searing acid that obliterated her face, leaving her with gruesome wounds that will never heal.

KASHMIR: Fast Track Courts Needed for Crimes Against Women: NCW

Fast track courts should be set up for trial of cases pertaining to excesses against women, National Commission for Women (NCW) today said. "There is a need for setting up of fast track courts for trial of cases pertaining to excesses against women," NCW chairperson Mamata Sharma said, addressing Women's Peace Conference, organised by Jammu and Kashmir Peace Foundation, at SKICC here.

MALI: Mali Asks International Court to Investigate Atrocities

The government of Mali on Wednesday formally asked the International Criminal Court to investigate atrocities attributed to groups of armed rebels, including Islamic extremists, who established a breakaway ministate in the northern half of the country this year.

MOZAMBIQUE: To Victims of Sexual Violence - You Are Not Alone

In Mozambique, as in many countries, gender violence remains a guarded secret. Victims face the nightmarish prospect that they may contract HIV or another sexually transmitted infection from an attacker. More than 11 percent of Mozambicans live with HIV.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Solomons Police Must Set Example in Fighting Gender Violence: Commissioner

Solomon Islands' new police commissioner says the police must set an example when it comes to addressing the country's high rate of violence against women.

This year's World Bank Development Report cites Solomon Islands as having the world's worst level of sexual violence against women, with 64 percent of women having experienced domestic violence.

MIDDLE EAST: Women at the Frontiers

This week I was invited to an Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) meeting in the Austrian capital Vienna. The gathering, held to discuss the safety of journalists working in areas of conflict and civil unrest, was part of the organization's continued efforts to bolster security and increase cooperation between the organizations' 56 member states.

CONGO-KINSHASA: UN Official Condemns Sexual Violence By Renegade Soldiers

A United Nations official today condemned the sexual violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reportedly perpetrated by armed groups, including the group of renegade soldiers known as the M23, and called on authorities to investigate the crimes.

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