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CONFLICT-RELATED SEXUAL VIOLENCE Report of the United Nations Secretary-General

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CONFLICT-RELATED SEXUAL VIOLENCE Report of the United Nations Secretary-General photo | marco dormino CONFLICT-RELATED SEXUAL VIOLENCE report of the united nations secretary-general s/2020/487 03 June 2020 I. I N T R O D U C T I O N 1. The present report, which covers the period and address the diverse experiences of all survivors. from January to December 2019, is submitted pursuant This approach is critical to ensuring that no one is left to Security Council resolution 2467 (2019), in which behind or excluded from the dividends of peace and the Council requested me to report on the development. implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1960 (2010) and 2106 (2013). 4. The term “conflict-related sexual violence”, as used in the present report, refers to rape, sexual 2. In April 2019, through the adoption of slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced resolution 2467 (2019), the Security Council abortion, enforced sterilization, forced marriage, and recognized the need for a survivor-centred approach any other form of sexual violence of comparable to inform all measures to prevent and address sexual gravity perpetrated against women, men, girls or boys violence in conflict and post-conflict situations. On 30 that is directly or indirectly linked to a conflict. This link un photo/mark garten un photo/mark October, the Office of my Special Representative on may be evident in the profile of the perpetrator, who is Sexual Violence in Conflict marked the 10-year often affiliated with a State or non-State armed group, anniversary of the mandate through a survivors’ which includes terrorist entities or networks; the hearing and the launch of a Global Survivors Fund profile of the victim, who is frequently an actual or spearheaded by the Nobel Laureates, Denis Mukwege perceived member of a persecuted political, ethnic or and Nadia Murad. The event represented a milestone religious minority, or targeted on the basis of actual or and provided an opportunity to take stock of the perceived sexual orientation or gender identity; the significant normative, institutional and operational climate of impunity, which is generally associated with progress achieved, and to set the stage for a new State collapse; cross-border consequences, such as decade of decisive action, with a focus on empowering displacement or trafficking; and/or violations of the survivors and fostering compliance with existing provisions of a ceasefire agreement. The term also commitments. encompasses trafficking in persons for the purpose of sexual violence and/or exploitation, when committed 3. The year 2020 is also pivotal for the women in situations of conflict. and peace and security agenda. In addition to marking the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 5. While many countries are affected by the 1325 (2000), and the twenty-fifth anniversary of the threat, occurrence or legacy of conflict-related sexual adoption of the visionary Beijing Declaration and violence, the present report is focused on 19 countries Platform for Action (1995), it will also mark 75 years for which information verified by the United Nations “conflict-related sexual violence is now widely recognized as a since the establishment of the United Nations itself, exists. It should be read in conjunction with my 10 war crime that is preventable and punishable. the united nations with its founding promise of gender equality enshrined previous reports, which provide a cumulative basis for security council has played an important role in the past decade in the Charter of the United Nations (1945). Despite the listing of 54 parties (see annex). The majority of by passing successive resolutions that emphasize accountability important progress on the policy and operational listed parties are non-State actors, with several having fronts, we face an increasingly complex global security been designated as terrorist groups according to the for perpetrators and services for survivors.” environment in which sexual violence remains a cruel ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions list. National tactic of war, torture, terror and political repression, military and police forces that are listed are required to - united nations secretary-general antónio guterres and a brutally effective tool of displacement and adopt specific, time-bound commitments and action dehumanization. We have yet to adequately invest in plans to address violations and are prohibited from tackling the structural root causes that drive and participating in United Nations peace operations. perpetuate this violence, including gender inequality, Effective implementation of commitments, including which is exacerbated by conflict and militarization. A the cessation of violations, is a key consideration for survivor-centred, rights-based response aims to create the delisting of parties. Non-State armed groups are 2 a safe and participatory environment, including also required to implement action plans to prevent and through contextualized solutions that build resilience address sexual violence. 3 6. The increased presence of women’s protection national judiciary, including the specialized unit working advisers, who are responsible for convening the on Boko Haram-related cases. In South Sudan, the Team monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements on of Experts facilitated the adoption by the South Sudan conflict-related sexual violence in the field, has improved National Police Service of its action plan on addressing the availability and quality of information. At the time of conflict-related sexual violence. writing, women’s protection advisers are deployed in seven United Nations peace operations. All peacekeeping 8. The United Nations Action against Sexual missions with mandates that include the protection of Violence in Conflict network, which comprises 14 entities, | m r hasan civilians have established monitoring arrangements and is dedicated to amplifying advocacy, improving incorporated the matrix of early warning indicators of coordination and accountability, and supporting country conflict-related sexual violence into their broader efforts to prevent conflict-related sexual violence and protection structures. The special political missions in respond effectively to the needs of survivors, in Iraq and Somalia have also established such arrangements. accordance with the priorities articulated by the network and its Chair, my Special Representative. In 2019, the 7. Strengthening the capacity of national rule of network was reinforced through the addition of a new un women photo law institutions is critical in order to advance credible and member, the Office for Disarmament Affairs, and nine inclusive accountability processes for past crimes, as well new projects were launched. In Myanmar, one project as for prevention and deterrence of future crimes. In this was aimed at enhancing accountability for conflict- regard, the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual related sexual violence, and another at promoting gender Violence in Conflict, in accordance with its mandate equality and women’s empowerment in the context of under Security Council resolution 1888 (2009) continues preventing human trafficking. In South Sudan, the network to convene, coordinate and collaborate with United financed the scaling up of a one-stop centre for survivors Nations system entities so as to assist national authorities and a project to build the capacity of the justice and in strengthening institutional safeguards against impunity, security sector. The network further supported two as part of broader efforts to reinforce the rule of law. Since projects in Iraq aimed at strengthening psychosocial its establishment, the Team of Experts has engaged in the services and establishing mechanisms for reparations. In Central African Republic, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, the addition, it supported the finalization of the national II. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Iraq, Liberia, strategy on preventing and eliminating gender-based Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and the violence in the Central African Republic and continued to Sudan, in follow-up to the high-level political engagements support the Gender-based Violence Information Sexual Violence as a Tactic of War and of my Special Representative and with the consent of Management System. At the global level, the International Member States. In 2019, the Team of Experts contributed Organization for Migration and the Office of my Special Terrorism: Patterns, Trends and Emerging to addressing impunity and supporting victims, Representative organized a workshop on reparations, complementing the efforts of United Nations system which focused on ensuring complementarity between Concerns entities through the Global Focal Point for the Rule of Law. national and international efforts to improve access to In the Central African Republic, the Team of Experts remedies for survivors. The network also initiated a 10. The past decade has seen a paradigm shift in other stories that will never be heard. Most survivors continued to assist the national authorities, including the mapping exercise to identify and fill gaps in guidance and global understanding of the impacts of the atrocity of face insurmountable social, structural and security joint rapid response and prevention unit for addressing operational tools, as requested by the Security Council in conflict-related sexual violence, particularly in terms of barriers, including stigma, the repercussions of which sexual violence against women and children, to increase its resolution 2467 (2019).
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