Statement of the Netherlands at the May 15 Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict
Justice
That brings me to my second point: ending impunity. Reporting of cases is complicated and can carry high social costs. Shame, stigma and strong cultural norms can dissuade women and men from reporting crimes. The Council therefore needs to act. The listing of the individuals and groups that commit such acts of violence is one of the means to address these violations, and the Council has a responsibility there.
But we also need to ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted. We have to close the impunity gap, and this applies also to sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations personnel. The Kingdom of the Netherlands therefore strongly supports the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance approach to this issue.
When it comes to ending impunity, we feel very strongly that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has a role to play as a court of last resort. Its mandate allows for prosecuting individuals suspected of sexual violence. We believe that the ICC must continue to strengthen the policies that ensure accountability under international criminal law.
Impl
As concerns identifying the problem, the report of the Secretary-General rightly draws our attention to the disturbing trend of sexual violence as a tactic of war and terrorism. Violent extremism is on the rise. Perpetrators often do not react to political pressure or abide by agreements, treaties or international law. The use of rape as an instrument of war and terror constitutes one of the most horrendous human rights violations in the world. The problem is clear, so we need to do more.
This brings me to my third point. We need to take action. Let me share some Dutch examples here. All Dutch police and military personnel receive pre-deployment training, and, together with our valued partner Spain, whose representative spoke earlier today, we provide training to other professionals from other States. Additionally, we financed a specialized training programme for female military officers with UN-Women, and we also made possible a global study on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000).
Participation
We must empower women and involve them as leaders in conflict resolution and in peace negotiations. We should not only see them as victims but see and treat them as leaders, and empower them accordingly.