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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AFGHANISTAN: Afghanistan's Women are at the Sharp End of War

Afghan women face a bleak future unless women's rights are included as a non-negotiable element of any future political settlement, a report warned on Wednesday.

PAKISTAN: Strategy for Controlling Violence Against Women Demanded

Experts have called for evolving a comprehensive strategy to control the overall situation of violence in the country in order to make substantive improvement in combating Violence Against Women (VAW).

DRC: DR Congo Villagers Spurn Raped Wives

After being raped by government troops, women in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo face the further pain and humiliation of being repudiated by their husbands.

“My husband refuses to share the bed with me. I sleep on the floor,” one woman who asked not to be named told AFP in the eastern village of Nakiele, where soldiers raped more than 100 women in early June.

ETHIOPIA: The plight of trafficking in persons: a global scene

On several occasions, the Ethiopian media have reported about the prevalence of illegal trafficking in persons, mostly to the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula. The prevalence of illegal trafficking of children and women— both internal and translational crimes are grave concerns to Ethiopia.

INTERNATIONAL: UN Focuses on Rape as Weapon of War After Libyan Woman's Plight

It took a video going “viral” of a Libyan woman being dragged from a Tripoli hotel -- shouting that she'd been raped for two days by 15 men -- to put a face and name to a weapon of war that dates back at least to the founding of ancient Rome.

UNITED STATES: US 'Gravely Disturbed By DRC Rapes'

Washington - The United States said on Wednesday it was "gravely disturbed" about the mass rape of women in a remote area of the Democratic Republic of Congo last month.

COLOMBIA: Minority Women Bear Brunt of Gender-Based Violence

LONDON (TrustLaw) –Women from minority groups are targeted for sexual violence, torture and killings because of their ethnic, religious and indigenous identity, Minority Rights Group (MRG) said on Wednesday.

DRC: 248 Women Report Being Raped by Soldiers in DR Congo in June

Some 248 women said they were raped by soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Sud-Kivu province last month, local medical reports showed Monday, in a region the UN has called the world's "rape capital."

A hospital doctor in Nakiele told AFP that 121 local women reported being the victim of rape on the night of June 11 to 12.

ISRAEL: UN Committee: Israel Must Allow Civil Marriage

There is no meaningful equality in Israel between men and women when it comes to matters relating to marriage and family relationships, according to a new UN report.

The report was compiled by a panel of experts overseeing implementation of the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The panel submitted its conclusions to Israeli authorities in February of this year.

KOSOVO: President Jahjaga Met With The President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite

The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Mrs. Atifete Jahjaga continues the official visit to Lithuania. She had today an official meeting with the President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite, in the Cabinet of the latter, where they discussed a range of topics of interest.

The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj.

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