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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LEBANON: Dar Al-Fatwa Rejects Draft Law Protecting Women Against Domestic Violence

A draft law to protect women from domestic violence is a Western idea designed to dismantle the Muslim family, rather than improve women's status in the country, a statement released by Lebanon's highest Sunni body said Thursday.

INTERNATIONAL: Violence Against Women Surges When War Is

Rosemary Gonzalez was murdered in 2009, the victim of a war that ended in 1996. One day, 17-year-old Rosemary said good-bye to her mother Betty, walked out of their small house on the outskirts of Guatemala City and was never seen alive again.

INTERNATIONAL: State Department Report Ranks Countries on Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is flourishing in the Democratic Republic of Congo, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Iran, with little effort by the countries' governments to combat it, the U.S. State Department said Monday.

The department's 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report assesses efforts by 184 governments worldwide to fight sexual exploitation, forced labor and modern-day slavery.

INTERNATIONAL/IRAQ: The Word on Women - The Other Tahrir Square

Last week, a group of twenty-five women who were demonstrating for peace and democracy in Baghdad's Tahrir Square were violently attacked. Gathering as they had every week, the women were greeted this time greeted by a mob of armed men who were reportedly bused in specifically to target the demonstrators.

EGYPT: Military Pledges to Stop Forced 'Virginity Tests'

The head of Egypt's military intelligence has promised Amnesty International that the army will no longer carry out forced ‘virginity tests' after defending their use, during a meeting with the organisation in Cairo on Sunday.

NICARAGUA: Rape Victim Launches New Hunger Strike for Justice

MANAGUA, Jun 21 (IPS) - After a series of hunger strikes and vigils, Fátima Hernández had managed to become an exception, as one of the few rape victims in Nicaragua to obtain justice. But now her fight has started all over again and the hope that her case offered to others might become a mirage.

On Monday, she began a new hunger strike outside the Supreme Court building.

COLOMBIA: Displaced Leader's Death 'Highlights Violence Faced by Colombian Women

The women's movement of a recently assassinated Colombian displaced leader said Tuesday that the leader's death will likely force the government to change its response to risks faced by women.

INTERNATIONAL: Women in the Arab Spring: The other side of the story

Much has been written about the women who have protested, organized, blogged and conducted hunger strikes throughout the Arab Spring.

IRAN: A Shattered Rule of Law in Iran

In an annual survey known as the Rule of Law Index, issued by the World Justice Project, Iran ranks last out of 66 nations for the protection of fundamental rights. The survey notes that Iranian law enforcement authorities perpetrate abuses against citizens, and Iran's courts are infected by corruption and political interference.

Recent news from Iran demonstrates the depths of the Iranian government's contempt for the rule of law.

LIBYA/INTERNATIONAL: Muammer's Rapists

New charges that Muammer Gaddafi has ordered mass rapes of women in Libya are just the latest in an ongoing and unprecedented global assault on women, one that shows no signs of abating.

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