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 >>

SOMALIA: How Kenya Welcomes Refugees

Shot at and raped. Arrested and beaten. Detained and deported. Extorted and robbed. Threatened and insulted. Ignored and shunned. The treatment of hardened criminals in some far-flung police state? The fate of political opponents by a repressive regime? Not quite. For Somali refugees - 80% of them women and children - this is their welcome to Kenya.

MADAGASCAR: Violence Against Women Discussed in Madagascar

On 22 November 2008, the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Antananarivo, together with the UN Club and the Association of Women Leadership of Ifanadiana, organized training sessions to discuss the issue of violence against women in Madagascar. Over 50 students from Ambodirafia, Ranomafana and Ikelilalina attended the event.

INTERNATIONAL: Women Deliver: Empowered Women and Their Powerful Stories

“When I was nine years old I dreamed of becoming a lawyer,” Viviana Palacios, 23, from Colombia told a packed auditorium on the second day of the Women Deliver conference.

PACIFIC/ASIA: New report: Asia-Pacific Has One of The World's Worst Gender Gaps

While Asia and the Pacific can take pride in the region's vibrant economic transformation in recent decades, this has not translated into progress on gender equality.

FIJI: Bold and Brave Women

THE Fiji Women's Crisis Centre has been a pillar of strength for women in Fiji for more than two decades.

It is a bold and brave non-government organisation that goes the extra mile to give women justice.

Not only the work it does is admirable, the people who work in the centre are brave and admirable.

DRC: Pursuing Rebels at What Price

Operation Amani Leo, launched jointly by MONUC (the United Nations Mission in Congo) and FARDC (the Congolese army) in January to regain control of mining territories in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu from rebels, while ensuring security for the local population has been extended to September. But Congolese women are arguing for changes in the conduct of military operations.

OCEANIA: Pacific Women Welcome UN Move Against Sexual Violence

Women's advocacy groups in the Pacific have welcomed a move to stop sexual violence towards women in conflict situations, but say it needs be implemented in conjunction with an earlier resolution.

They say that while the United Nation's Security Council Resolution 1820, which was adopted last year, is absolutely critical, it should be viewed as an implementation strategy to further the commitment to women, peace and security.

DRC: No, Sexual Violence Is Not 'Cultural' (Editorial)

A month into my first trip to eastern Congo, site of the deadliest conflict since World War II, I had heard plenty of horror stories — from forced cannibalism to the burning alive of the inhabitants of entire villages. I was no longer easily shocked. But one exchange with an aid worker stopped me cold.

ALGERIA: Violence Against Women In Algeria: An Unending Ordeal

Ten-year conflict between armed Islamists and the civil army continue victimizing Algerian women in extreme ways. The violence of Islamists started in 1992, when Algerians discovered the use of punitive raids against women.

During the ten years of conflict between armed Islamists and the civil army, which have torn the country apart, Algerian women have endured experiences of extreme violence.

ZIMBABWE: Focus on Rape As a Political Weapon

"In a Dark Time", a documentary film about sexual abuse in Zimbabwe perpertrated by pro-government militia, premiered last week at Witwatersrand University, one of South Africa's most respected tertiary institutions. In the film, 16-year-old Sarudzai recalled how she was alone in the family home with three younger siblings when militiamen surrounded it. Her father was at a funeral.

Pages