Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: The Maldives
Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: The Maldives (Extract 1)
The Maldives strongly condemns how sexual violence is being "weaponized" through targeting victims based on ethnic, religious, or political affiliation, which destroys social cohesion, leading to forced displacement, and deprivation from economic resources. We note with concern that the failure to address these issues has led to desperate recourse of more harmful magnitudes, including child marriage, withdrawal from educational and employment opportunities, and resorting to commercial sexual exploitation.
Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: The Maldives (Extract 2)
Increased awareness about the nature of the crime, changes in taboo social perceptions, and having an efficient and reliable framework to identify sexual exploitation are necessary to establish the first step to end impunity and ensure accountability. We also note that there are commonalities in the recommendations for these countries, including strengthening legal frameworks, provision of access to justice as well as socioeconomic support for victims, strict screening and training of armed and security forces, and strengthening frameworks to enhance cooperation with the United Nations to enhance prevention and response measures. Most of the victims are women and girls from marginalized rural communities, who do not always benefit from full legal protections, and often have cultural taboos regarding sexual violence. Therefore, not only should Member States strive to extend the reach of the rule of law to all communities, but also ensure that the law itself provides protection to the victims through alignment with international human rights standards on sexual violence and abuse.
Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: The Maldives (Extract 3)
We wish to underscore the responsibilities that armed forces and peacekeeping operations have in preventing sexual violence in conflict. It is important not only to ensure training in international humanitarian and human rights law in the specific context of sexual exploitation, but also establish strict monitoring and accountability within these systems to prevent abuse by these actors themselves. In this regard, we are pleased to note that all UN peacekeeping operations with mandates on protection of civilians have established monitoring arrangements and incorporated early-warning indicators of conflict-related sexual violence.
Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: The Maldives (Extract 4)
The Maldives supports the Secretary General's preventative approach, and we believe that early-warning indicators could help prevent sexual violence in conflict prone areas, in addition to post-conflict situations, and that this should be factored in when evaluating risks to peace and security in the Council. In this regard we wish to emphasize the importance of ensuring adequate funding for sexual violence programmes in conflict-affected situations.