Implementation

For decades, even centuries, victims of sexual violence in conflict have often been deprived of the mere right to justice, and societies have been slow to criminalize such acts or to provide victims with the necessary psychological and/or medical care. Today, however, we are pleased to note that the Security Council has taken on this issue head-on, including over the past decade by adopting standards aimed specifically at enforcing international human rights law with regard to women’s rights. Nevertheless, as the Secretary-General’s latest report (S/2017/249) highlights, our collective conscious is ever-more alarmed by disturbing phenomena such as the increase in violent extremism and terrorism, mass migration, trafficking in human beings for sexual exploitation and making women part of the economy in situations of armed conflict. Taking into account those new scourges, I would like to focus my statement today on three points that seem to me to be very relevant in our common struggle against the consequences of this crime.

First, with regard to preventing crimes of sexual violence, we all agree that preventing sexual violence is an integral part of conflict prevention in the broader sense. It is not simply a priority, it is the priority, as clearly stated by the Secretary-General General in his very first speech in this Chamber. Preventing sexual violence must begin with implementing the relevant legal provisions set out in international legal instruments and by including prevention mechanisms for this crime in peace agreements and ceasefire arrangements. There is also a need to strengthen the capacity of national institutions to ensure the prevention of sexual violence, including through training, awareness-raising and appropriate legal measures. In the context of prevention, it is also essential that we work with women’s groups and with traditional and religious leaders, who can play an important role in putting in place strategic communications. However, we must bear in mind that suppression is equally essential to prevention, in that it discourages potential aggressors from actually carrying out such acts, helps to restore confidence in the rule of law and shows that no political or military leader and no man, woman or child is above the law.