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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INTERNATIONAL: Europe Must Do Better on Gender and Asylum

Trafficked to Britain from Moldova, Gloria was forced into prostitution before escaping her traffickers and seeking asylum in the UK.

She said if she returned home she would almost certainly face violent reprisals from the gang that trafficked her, and she won her case.

COLOMBIA: Colombians March in Honour of Bogota Rape Victim

Thousands of people joined a march in the Colombian capital to demand justice in a case of rape and murder that has shocked the country.

Rosa Elvira Cely, a single mother who worked selling sweets in the streets of Bogota, was attacked on 23 May. She died four days later of her injuries.

Her story has led to an outcry in Colombia, where more than 51,000 women were victims of violence last year.

NICARAGUA: Nicaragua Advances in Combating Violence Against Women

Endless economic and military interference by the U-S and former European colonial powers has resulted in years and years of instability in Central America.

Violence is common and the homicide rate soars above the global average. And it's the region's women who bear the largest brunt of the violence.

INTERNATIONAL: At UN, Indigenous Women Seek Violence Statistics

Indigenous women around the world suffer disproportionately from gender-related violence, but they say a lack of hard numbers has allowed governments to ignore the problem.

Members of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues asked the United Nations on Thursday for better data to pinpoint the problem and help develop solutions.

NEPAL: Women and Security in Nepal: New Film Highlights the Importance of Female Police Officers

Inspired by real life events, Saferworld has produced a short film showing the important role women in Nepal can play in providing security, particularly in the police force.

UNITED KINGDOM: UK to Deploy Rape Investigation Squad to War Zones

The UK is setting up a special rapid deployment unit to collect evidence on mass rape used as a weapon during global conflicts, as part of a broader initiative to be launched on Tuesday to combat sexual war crimes of the kind seen in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, central Africa, and now in Syria.

COLOMBIA: Colombia must fight impunity for sexual violence crimes – UN official

Colombia must increase its efforts to fight impunity for crimes of sexual violence, a United Nations envoy said today, adding that such efforts should be paired with assistance to survivors and victims.

LIBERIA: More Calls against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse

The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) in collaboration with several civil organizations has ended a week-long sensitization campaign on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) in the Borough of New Kru Town on the Bushrod Island, outside Monrovia. The week-long campaign, which was climaxed at the D. Tweh Sports Pitch on Saturday, May 19, 2012, was occasioned by live stage performances of drama, culture, comedy and music.

INTERNATIONAL: Worldwide, It's "More Dangerous to Be a Woman Than a Soldier in Modern Wars"

"It is now more dangerous to be a woman than to be a soldier in modern wars." These words were spoken by Major General Patrick Cammaert, the Deputy Force Commander of the United Nations Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo, in 2008, as he described the the terrifying scorched earth rape strategy being employed in that country (and others like it).

PAKISTAN: The Gendered Cost of NATO in Pakistan

The Domestic Violence Bill was first introduced in Pakistan's National Assembly in 2006 by a woman member of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Sherry Rehman, currently Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States. At the time, the leader of the PPP, the late Benazir Bhutto, was in political exile and the party served as the main opposition under General Musharraf's government.

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