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.

For more resources on this Critical Issue, visit PeaceWomen Resource Center >>

ALGERIA: Ex-CIA Chief In Algeria Sentenced To Five Years For Rape

The former CIA chief in Algeria has been sentenced to jail for raping an Arab woman.

Andrew Warren, regarded as a leading CIA official based in the Middle East, was sentenced to five years and five months for sexual and drug abuse. Warren, 43, pleaded guilty to drugging an Algerian woman and then raping her.

US/LIBYA: U.S. Envoy Says Gadhafi Troops Using Viagra To Rape In Rebel Areas

The U.S. envoy to the United Nations told the Security Council on Thursday that troops loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi were increasingly engaging in sexual violence and some had been issued the impotency drug Viagra, diplomats said.

SRI LANKA: No Respite Even After War: The Rape, Execution, Torture and Disappearances of IDPs in Sri Lanka

The Island newspaper continues to publish leaks from the report produced by the Panel appointed by the UN Secretary General to look into post-war accountability in Sri Lanka. Groundviews has covered in detail the Executive Summary and Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the leaks.

The Island published today Part 5, which focusses on the conditions faced by IDPs in the aftermath of the violent denouement of the war in the Vanni.

KENYA: Fight Against Child Sex Tourism Needs A Boost

When police in Kenya's coastal tourist city of Mombasa conduct night raids, it is not unusual for a large number of sex workers arrested to be under 18.

The government faces a struggle to end a trade that many young girls see as a fast way out of poverty and into a more glamorous life.

PAKISTAN: Outspoken Pakistani Rape Victim to Appeal Supreme Court Decision

A Pakistani woman who became internationally known for pressing charges against the men who gang raped her in 2002 is speaking out again.

Last week, Pakistan's Supreme Court dismissed Mukhtar Mai's appeal against the acquittal of five men who raped her. The court ordered the five men to be freed, but upheld a life sentence for another defendant in the case.

UNITED STATES: USDOJ: Justice Department Announces $6.9 Million in Grants to Engage Men in Preventing Crimes Against Women

The United States Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) announced $6.9 million in awards to 23 projects in the Engaging Men in Preventing Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Stalking Grant Program (Engaging Men Grant Program).

PAKISTAN: Pakistan Must Bring Justice To Rape Victim

The Pakistan Supreme Court's acquittal of five men charged with the gang rape of Mukhtaran Mai highlights the failure to bring perpetrators of such crimes to account, Amnesty International said today.

SUDAN: North Darfur Water Project Helps Protect Women from Sexual Violence

A water project supported by the UN-African Union peacekeeping force (UNAMID) in eight villages of North Darfur will not only facilitate residents' access to water but also help to reduce sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the region, local residents and UNAMID officials said.

BANGLADESH: Minority Women in Bangladesh Gang Raped in 2001-02: Report

A judicial commission in Bangladesh has concluded that "over 200 minority women were gang raped" in the violence following the October 2001 parliamentary poll that was intended to force families "to leave the country".

AFGHANISTAN: Virginity-Related Penalties

The penalties that Afghan women suffer whenever allegations of pre-marital sex and loss of virginity emerge, including death, are extreme, discriminatory and not in the penal code, activists said.

Pages