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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DRC: DR Congo mass rape in Fizi: '170 attacked'

The number of reported victims of a recent mass rape campaign by gunmen in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to about 170, the UN says.

Aid workers had been investigating initial reports that about 60 women were raped near town of Fizi by ex-rebels who recently deserted the army

Troops from the same group were recently convicted of raping at least 50 women in Fizi on New Year's Day.

IRAN: Iran Giving Out Condoms for Criminals to Rape Us, Say Jailed Activists

Prison guards in Iran are giving condoms to criminals and encouraging them to systematically rape young opposition activists locked up with them, according to accounts from inside the country's jail system.

A series of dramatic letters written by prisoners and families of imprisoned activists allege that authorities are intentionally facilitating mass rape and using it as a form of punishment.

NEPAL: Stop Torturing Women in Detention

Advocacy Forum, an NGO working for human rights, today called on the government to exercise due diligence to prevent and investigate cases of torture against women in detention and work towards improving the condition of detention for women.

INTERNATIONAL: Muna Khan: Why are Women Used as Trophies in War? Or How to Win the Battle Against Rape

What is it about war that sees an increase in rapes being committed against women? History is replete with examples of the uncomfortable silence on female casualties of war. We know women are raped as a form of psychological warfare and treated like spoils of war for combatants.

COTE D'IVOIRE: ICC investigation must not exclude serious crimes

A proposed International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into Côte d'Ivoire must be expanded to cover serious human rights violations committed since 2002, Amnesty International said today.

GUATEMALA: UN Envoy Against Sexual Violence Hails Arrest of Former Top Military Figure

A United Nations envoy today welcomed the arrest of a former top Guatemalan military figure accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, saying the arrest sends a strong signal that justice can prevail in the Central American country.

General Hector Mario Lopez Fuentes, who served as chief of staff of his country's armed forces between March 1982 and October 1983, was arrested last week, according to media reports.

SRI LANKA: Sexual Offences on the Increase

Complaints with regard to child abuse and sexual offences against women and children in Sri Lanka are increasing dramatically specially since 1995, said Lawyers for Human Rights and Development (LHRD) Executive Director Attorney-at-Law Kalyananda Thiranagama.

The number of complaints of this nature was just over 900 in 1995 and this was over 2,000 in 2010 reflecting remarkable increase within 15 years, he said.

ISRAEL: State to Shutter Half of Battered Women Shelters as NGOs Fail to Meet Basic Requirements

Six shelters for battered women are likely to close because the organizations running them for years did not win the tender issued by the Social Affairs Ministry to operate them.

COTE D'IVOIRE: Toward A New Côte d'Ivoire -- or the Selective Justice of the Past?

After six months of violence, almost everyone in Côte d'Ivoire has a horrific story to tell: a loved one killed gruesomely, the memory of being raped, a house burned or pillaged of everything. I have listened to hundreds of these stories, amazed at people's strength to recount the unthinkable to a stranger as armed conflict continued.

BANGLADESH: Blinded Woman's Plea for Justice Highlights Dangers Faced by South Asian Women

Bandaged and bruised, Rumana Manzur is pleading for justice after suffering a brutal assault that left her blind.

The 33-year-old University of British Columbia graduate student and assistant professor at Dhaka University in Bangladesh recently had her eyes gouged and her nose bitten by her husband, Hasan Sayeed Sumon, who claimed she was having an affair in Canada.

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