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 >>

JAPAN: Amnesty International Supports International Petition for Justice for "Comfort Women"

Amnesty International takes the opportunity of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women to join with activists in Japan to call on the government of Japan to provide justice for the survivors of Japan's World War II military sexual slavery system.

INTERNATIONAL: Thanking Those Who Struggle to Eliminate Violence Against Women

As well as being Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., November 25 is also the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It has been a day marked by women's rights activists for decades to raise awareness about the terrible impacts of violence against women and about the work many are doing to eliminate this violence.

INTERNATIONAL: 16 Days - Activism vs. Gender Violence

Throughout the 16 days between November 25th, International Day to End Violence Against Women, and December 10th, International Human Rights Day, the United Nations Population Fund conducts its annual Sixteen Days of Activism Campaign against Gender Violence. The 16 Days highlight the critical principle that women's rights are human rights.

UGANDA: ICT Boom for Economy, A Bust for Some Women

KAMPALA, Nov 25, 2010 (IPS) - The rapid growth of the ICT market in Uganda has been greeted with optimism over its potential to boost the country's development. But less attention is being paid to the increase in gender based violence due to the use of information and communications technology.

BOSNIA&HERZEGOVINA: UN official - Bosnia War Rapes Must Be Prosecuted

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- A U.N. official said Friday that a better job needs to be done in prosecuting rape cases that occurred during the Bosnian war nearly two decades ago, and in other armed conflicts worldwide.

UGANDA: We Must Take Action to End Gender-Based Violence

Violence against women touches Uganda just as it does every other nation. Gender-based violence is a global pandemic that cuts across all borders - ethnic, racial, class, religious, and educational level.

INTERNATIONAL: 'More Women Peacekeepers Is Not the Solution'

For two decades, women around the world have marked "Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender Violence", which fall between the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Nov. 25 and International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10.

From Argentina to Ghana, and Japan to Georgia, this year, women's groups worldwide are focusing on the linkages between militarism and violence against women.

SUDAN: South Sudan Vows to Address Increase in Gender based Violence in Rural Area

Sunday, November 4, 2010, (JUBA) – The South Sudan Human Rights Commission said on Thursday said that effective mechanisms need to be put in place to address human rights issues particularly those associated with gender rights.

Victor Lado Caesar Tombe, executive officer of the commission says that many women and girls in south Sudan suffer from exploitation, trafficking, gender based violence.

LIBERIA: Liberia Slowly Recovers from Decade of Rampant Gender Violence

It is lunch time at the Light Stream Academy School on Pagos Island in Monrovia. The stretch of land, with more than 4000 inhabitants, is completely cut off from the rest of the capital. It is surrounded by swamps and marshland. The only access routes are by foot. Dozens of children, wearing green and white uniforms play in the school yard.

KURDISTAN: Pioneering Research into Honour-based Violence Launched in Erbil

A pioneering research project and report commissioned by the Kurdistan Regional Government on honour-based violence was launched in Erbil on November 25, the international day for the elimination of violence against women.

The two-year research project was commissioned in 2008 by the then prime minister Nechirvan Barzani to investigate honour-based violence in Kurdistan and among the Kurdish community in Britain.

Pages