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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GUINEA: End Impunity in Guinea: Two Years on, Still No Justice for Victims of the Stadium Massacre

The demonstration meant to be peaceful quickly degenerated into a bloodshed of violence when the army entered the packed stadium without warning, and opened fire on the crowd. More than 150 people were killed, thousands wounded and hundreds of women suffered brutal sexual violence; “they were gang raped, with objects, including bayonets sticks, pieces of metal and clubs” by the security forces.

AFRICA: Winning Peace After the War is Over

It's small actions of compassion and dignity that can restore faith in humanity, even in times of war, human conflict and terrible violence.

That, more than anything, is the intended message behind the five-part documentary series Women, War & Peace, a harrowing and occasionally spiritually uplifting portrait of how some women around the world are fighting violence with non-violence, and calling the perpetrators to account.

ZIMBABWE: The Word on Women - Defending Women's Human Rights In Zimbabwe: Examining The Complexities

Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) in Zimbabwe are routinely arrested, unlawfully detained and subjected to ill-treatment whilst in prison, all for engaging in peaceful protest. AWID tries to unravel the complexities of the context in which they work to understand how WHRDs are affected by politically motivated violence, the land reform process and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

SOUTH AFRICA: More Dangerous to Be a Woman than a Soldier

African women who bear the brunt of the continent's conflicts now demand to play a defining role in peacekeeping.

A resolution to foster women's political participation in the domain of peacekeeping and conflict management was accepted on Friday at the 2011 Women's Platform for Action in Africa (WPAA).

AFRICA: Clinton's Africa Vision is Out of Focus, Say Critics

On Monday, October 3, 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will meet with 40 women entrepreneurs from 36 African nations participating in the 2011 African Women's Entrepreneurship Program, at the U.S. Department of State.

AFRICA: African Women Prepare for a Bigger Role in Peacemaking

African women who bear the brunt of the continent's conflicts now demand to play a defining role in peacekeeping.

A resolution to foster women's political participation in the domain of peacekeeping and conflict management was accepted on Friday at the 2011 Women's Platform for Action in Africa (WPAA).

PAKISTAN: Guns Aimed Increasingly at Women

Guns available in new abundance in the troubled north of Pakistan are increasingly being used on women in ‘honour' killings and domestic disputes, according to local reports. "About 65 percent of the women killed fall prey to gunfire in honour-related cases and issues relating to domestic violence," local security analyst Brigadier (retired) Muhammad Saad told IPS.

HAITI: Haitian Women Learn to Read, Write and Speak Out

The levels of literacy in Haiti are low, but among the most vulnerable groups living in camps they are even lower. It is estimated that 80 per cent of residents of La Piste camp in Port-au-Prince – home to around 45,000 people displaced by the earthquake on 12 January 2010 – cannot read or write. The British Red Cross has been working in La Piste camp since the earthquake.

SOUTH ASIA: Activists Give Voice to Women in Strife-Torn Regions

Women activists from South Asian countries have emphasised upon a greater role for women in peace building measures in conflict-ridden regions.

HAITI: Haitian camp populations decline, but residents still in need – UN official

The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) still in camps in Haiti after their homes were destroyed by last year's catastrophic earthquake has declined from 1.5 million to 600,000, but hardship in the settlements has not eased, the United Nations humanitarian chief said today at end of her three-day visit to the country.

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