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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LIBERIA: "The New War is Rape"

In Liberia rape survivors are increasingly speaking up and seeking help as awareness of rights increases, but social taboos persist and seeking justice does not always mean that justice is served.

GUINEA-BISSAU: At Least 100 Women Raped in Guinea Crackdown

Guinean soldiers raped at least 100 women during a crackdown on protesters in September, a human rights group said on Thursday.

The findings were released as United Nations experts began to investigate the repression, in which about 160 people were killed. The crackdown has drawn widespread condemnation and brought sanctions against the ruling military junta.

DRC: Photos of Congo Sex Abuse Travel the U.S.

Last summer, news in the United States that Jaycee Dugard had been kept in captivity in Antioch, Calif., for 18 years and raped by her captor until her Aug. 28 rescue was widely considered shocking.

DRC: Level of Brutality Against Women and Girls in Congo Increasing; UN Must Do More To Protect Them

Women and girls in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are experiencing increasingly brutal sexual assaults and the UN peacekeeping mission, mandated to protect them, is not doing an adequate job, says the International Rescue Committee, a leading aid group assisting thousands of rape survivors in Congo.

UGANDA: Take Gender Based Violence Out of Closet

Gender Based Violence (GBV) in all its manifestations remains a critical concern in Uganda. Gender Based Violence implies violating the fundamental rights of an individual largely because of his/her gender.

GAMBIA: police declare zero tolerance for gender-based violence

Gambia's Assistant Superintendent of Police Yahya Fadera on Wednesday declared there will be zero tolerance for gender-based violence, in particular rape and sexual assault against women and girls, warning that perpetrators will have no place to hide.

Fadera made the declaration in Banjul on Wednesday at the opening of a training workshop for law enforcement officers on violence against women and children.

PALESTINE: World Bank Examines Impact of Conflict and Closure Regime on Palestinian Women

The socio-economic impact of the ongoing conflict and the comprehensive closure regime on the Palestinian population of the West Bank and Gaza have been well documented. A report published by the World Bank analyzes an important, but as yet largely unexplored, dimension of this issue -- the long term impact of the system of movement and access restrictions on relations between women and men.

MACEDONIA: How Are Women Faring In Macedonia?

A nation of just over 2 million people in the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe, Macedonia has experienced much turbulence since declaring independence from (the former) Yugoslavia in 1991 and a civil war in 2001. Now, nearly a decade later, the country seeks membership in the European Union, faces the growing influence of religious groups, and struggles with the economic crisis that has wreaked havoc worldwide.

KURDISTAN: Women's Rights Marred By Violence in The Southeast

Domestic violence is the biggest obstacle to developing women's rights in the predominantly Kurdish Southeast. A local organization in Van became a driving-force for women to stand up for their rights

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