Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

On June 30th the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) held a special policy dialogue on “The role of women in countries in special situations.” MADRE representatives attended this dialogue and talked with State members as well as experts on the critical issues, including sexual violence women in Haiti face and the legal obligation to have their voices included in decision-making processes.

Yesterday marked the beginning of a ten-day workshop held in El Fasher, North Darfur, by UNAMID's Human Rights component to increase the capacity of police officers in investigating violent crimes against women.

The event was organized with support from the Swiss Government's Fund Project to implement recommendations by the UN Group of Experts on Darfur.

From peacekeepers in Darfur escorting women and girls to prevent “firewood rapes” to blue helmets in Kosovo setting up an emergency hotline for at-risk communities and lone women, the United Nations launched today its first compilation of the best practices of its staff to prevent, deter and respond to the use of rape as a war tactic.

With its emphasis on gender equality, the South African constitution is regarded as a great example for many other developing countries. Yet, despite laws intended to protect the rights of women like the Sexual Abuse Act and the Domestic Violence Act, women in the country still suffer indignities at the hands of police and in court.

Between April and June 1994, an estimated 800,000 Rwandans were killed in the space of 100 days. Thousands of women were also raped. Sixteen years on from the genocide, Tim Whewell finds the horrors of those months have left their mark on a new generation.

There is much to admire in India today, including its vibrant democracy and economy and its rich traditions. It should also lead the way in protecting and empowering women by ending so-called honor killings.

Stopping the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war is a step closer to reality with the launch of a new tool, Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence — An Analytical Inventory of Peacekeeping Practice. This document captures best practices and emerging elements for a more effective response by peacekeepers to women's security concerns.

President Joseph Kabila called Wednesday for a "moral revolution" in the Democratic Republic of Congo at ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of the war-torn country's independence from Belgium.

Congolese should put an end to "attacks on human life and dignity" and in particular the widespread rape that has become a feature of the guerrilla conflicts racking the vast nation, he said.

Twenty-two thousand, three hundred and eighty-one: the number of cases of sexual violence treated in a decade at the Panzi Hospital in the Congolese town Bukavu. And that is just a fraction of the number of survivors in this one eastern province. The number of women and girls who have survived rape and sexual assault here in this province of South Kivu in the war-wracked east of the Democratic Republic of Congo runs into tens of thousands.

Thousands of placards-carrying and aggrieved women from Ohaji Local council in Imo State, staged a peaceful protest at the premises of Imo State House of Assembly at the weekend, pleading with the lawmakers and state government to immediately intervene and save their lives from what they called “forceful occupation of their farmlands by herdsmen” using them as grazing grounds for their cattle.