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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UNITED STATES: Where was Security? Woman, 22, Raped on Deserted Denver Airport Concourse - and Janitors Ignored the Attack

A woman was allegedly raped on the floor of a deserted airport concourse while two janitors walked past - and did nothing.

Former U.S. marine Noel Bertrand, 26, was arrested on suspicion of felony sexual assault and assault after two airline workers saw the violent attack through a window at Denver International Airport and called police.

CAR: Expert: How Bemba Soldiers Used Rape as a Weapon of War

In his second day of testimony, an expert on rape as a tool of war today described to the Jean-Pierre Bemba trial the reasons for use of sexual violence during the 2002-2003 armed conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR).

DRC/CAR: Congolese Raped Central African Women for Supporting Rebels

An expert in the use of rape as a tool of war today said Congolese soldiers raped Central African women as “punishment” for supporting rebels who attempted to overthrow then president Ange-Félix Patassé. The women were able to identify the nationality of their attackers because the soldiers spoke a language the women could identify as Congolese.

COTE D'IVOIRE: Rape Victims of the Ivorian Conflict

While the world's attention was captured by the struggle for power in Abidjan, women in the west of Ivory Coast were involved in another struggle.

INTERNATIONAL: UN Envoy Stresses Need To Prevent Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Before It Begins

It is critical to prevent conflict-related sexual violence before it happens, a top United Nations official stressed today, stating that the problem warrants continuous consideration by the Security Council as it deals with fighting in countries such as Libya, Côte d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

INDIA: A Campaign Against Girls in India

The figures tell an old and cruel story: the systematic elimination of girls in India. In the 2001 census, the sex ratio — the number of girls to every 1,000 boys — was 927 in the 0-6 age group. Preliminary data from the 2011 census show that the imbalance has worsened, to 914 girls for every 1,000 boys.

PHILIPPINES: Domestic Violence Against Women, Children Up 91% in 2010

Cases of domestic violence against women and their children saw an increase of 91% in 2010 compared to 2009 figures, according to the 2010 Annual Human Rights Report.

The data, released by the US State Department, showed that the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported 9,225 cases of domestic violence against women and their children from January through November 2010.

INTERNATIONAL: UN Envoy Stresses Need to Prevent Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Before it Begins

It is critical to prevent conflict-related sexual violence before it happens, a top United Nations official stressed today, stating that the problem warrants continuous consideration by the Security Council as it deals with fighting in countries such as Libya, Côte d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

COTE D'IVOIRE: Rights Goup: Rape, Sexual Abuse 'Pervasive' in Ivory Coast

Large numbers of women have been raped, sexually assaulted, beaten and abducted in Ivory Coast, according to a humanitarian aid organization.

The International Rescue Committee [IRC] is calling on the international community to “ramp up” support programs for victims of gender-based violence [GBV] “to address the needs of the humanitarian disaster.”

HAITI: Open Source Database Helps Combat Sexual Violence in Haiti

The UN recently reported that a staggering 50 percent of Haitian women and girls living in the displacement camps in Haiti after the tragic February 2010 earthquake have been sexually assaulted.

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