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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UGANDA: UNICEF Condemns Acid Attacks

International Child rights organisation UNICEF-Uganda has strongly condemned the increasing incidents of acid attack against people especially women.

DRC: Rape Persists in Congo, Even When the War is Over

THE BABY'S name is Alame. His mother, Fazili, lovingly enunciates the word as she gazes at him suckling at her breast. Alame, she explains, means “may he live” in their native Tembo language.

DRC: Commander in Militia Denies Role in Mass Rape

SADOKE KIKUNDA Mayele repeatedly cracks his knuckles as he sits restlessly in a small room up a dank stairway in Goma's central prison, the largest in eastern Congo. He cuts a distinctly underwhelming figure.

INDIA: "Silent Observer" Fails to Silence India's Activists on Girl Abortions

A new device called a "Silent Observer" -- hailed as a solution to curbing the practice of aborting female babies in India -- has drawn criticism from activists who say the technology is more a government eyewash than an answer.

INTERNATIONAL: Leymah Gbowee: Child Soldiers, Child Wives: Wounded for Life

Working with ex-child soldiers of Charles Taylor's army, and the girls they have taken as wives, has convinced Nobel Peace laureate Leymah Gbowee that the abuse women suffer during conflict is a reflection of the interaction between men and women, boys and girls, during peace time.

Leymah Gbowee is one of three women who have been awarded jointly this year's Nobel Peace Prize. This article was first published in May 2011.

PAKISTAN: Black Clouds and Silver Linings

As the new year eve approached, my twitter and Facebook were filled with new year messages. Unfortunately, a sizeable number of those in Pakistan had less than fond memories of 2011 and hardly any hopeful predictions for 2012.

Understandably so.

SRI LANKA: Women, Girls Face Dire Security Threats in Tamil Areas

More than two years after the end of the 30-year war between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil rebels, women in the north and east of the country still suffer from sexual violence, poverty and displacement, according to a new report.

SOMALIA: Silent Rape Epidemic on the Rise

The number of reported rapes in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, has risen sharply, creating “a climate of fear”, according to a civil society source.

PAKISTAN: National Working Women Day Today: Government Empowering Womenfolk in the Country

The government has not only empowered the womenfolk in the country but also working to provide them space in all walks of life, said, Goodwill Ambassador for Women Empowerment Syeda Fiza Batool Gilani.

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