Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: Austria
Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: Austria (Extract 1)
Persons belonging to minorities encounter a high risk of being targets of violence. This was exemplified to us today by the testimony of Razia Sultana from the Rohingya community of Myanmar. Equally appalling is the fact that Da'esh continues to traffic Iraqi Yezidi women and girls into and across Syria as part of their campaign targeting minorities. The patterns of violence against women and girls belonging to minorities are embedded in underlying structural conditions, including inequality, gender-based discrimination and the neglect of the rights of persons belonging to minorities.
Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: Austria (Extract 2)
We also emphasize the relevance of early warning and awareness-raising measures to tackle problems regarding the situations of minorities, including through the competent UN mechanisms and bodies as well as regional organizations.
Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: Austria (Extract 3)
Austria wants to see all perpetrators, including Da’esh and Boko Haram fighters, held accountable for their repulsive acts of violence against women and girls. As SRSG Patten said today, only by truly fighting impunity will we achieve a deterrence effect. In order to help establish accountability, Austria has supported and contributed financially to the creation of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) to assist in investigating and prosecuting international crimes committed in Syria. We also expect that the Investigative Team to support domestic efforts to hold Da’esh accountable by collecting evidence in Iraq will soon generate actionable results.
Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: Austria (Extract 4)
Reports on sexual exploitation and abuse by personnel in UN peacekeeping missions, both military and civilian, in recent years have increasingly tainted the reputation of the UN and undermined its credibility. Austria condemns such behaviour and welcomes the focus of the Secretary-General on this important issue and his initiatives in this regard.
Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: Austria (Extract 5)
Sexual violence in conflict has a significant detrimental impact on individuals and communities. In too many settings, victims and their children are stigmatized, discriminated against and rejected by their communities. An example of determined efforts to support the reintegration of survivors of sexual violence is the case of northern Uganda where in the time of the conflict with the LRA, many serious crimes, including various forms of sexual and gender-based violence, were committed. The Austrian Development Agency together with the International Centre for Transitional Justice has since 2008 implemented four consecutive projects with a focus on supporting ongoing work on transitional justice in Uganda with the aim to reintegrate victims into their communities.