Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: Poland

Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: Poland

Extracts to this Statement: 

Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: Poland (Extract 1)

Extract: 

Poverty and social exclusion are risk factors associated with genderbased violence. The economic empowerment of women means ensuring proper funding for programmes that address the economic and social needs of survivors, as well as implementing initiatives aimed at changing the conditions that enable violence to occur in the first place. We also believe that there is a need for a broader discussion in the Security Council of the importance of women’s economic empowerment in post-conflict settings in more general terms. Peacebuilding and recovery funding still largely ignore women’s economic role.

PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
Conflict Prevention

Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: Poland (Extract 2)

Extract: 

Beyond the immediate cruelty of sexual violence and its consequences, victims are still all too often stigmatized and rejected by their families and communities. In their desire to avoid stigma and discrimination, the majority of victims do not report rape or other forms of sexual violence. That not only contributes to a culture of impunity, it also prevents survivors of sexual violence from accessing medical care and legal assistance. We support the Secretary-General’s call to traditional, religious and community leaders to address harmful social norms and help to redirect the stigma of rape from the victims to the perpetrators. In particular, we want to draw attention to the social stigma experienced by children conceived through rape. Women with children born of sexual violence are the most marginalized of all. Children born of rape are often ostracized by their families and communities.

PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
Reconstruction and Peacebuilding

Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: Poland (Extract 3)

Extract: 

The great reluctance of many men and boys to report sexual violence makes it very difficult to accurately assess its scope. Almost certainly, the limited statistics that exist vastly understate the number of male victims. For male survivors, sexual violence remains hidden owing to cultural taboos. The hesitancy of male survivors to speak about sexual violence makes impunity for such crimes even more likely. We urge States to remove all structural and legal obstacles that prevent the investigation and prosecution of rape and other forms of sexual violence committed against men and boys.

PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
Conflict Prevention
Justice, Rule of Law and Security Sector Reform