The Secretary-General's report (S/2012/33) offers clear guidance on important steps that the international community must take. For instance, operationally, those listed in the annex of these reports should face additional measures from the Security Council sanctions committees. Israel also strongly supports the recommendation to include provisions for conflictrelated sexual violence in ceasefire and peace agreements.
The report before us is testament to the need for a dedicated Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, with the strong mandate which the Special Representative holds. These are crimes surrounded by taboos and silence, consistently underreported and, even when they are reported, unlikely to be followed up. If there is to be any chance of penetrating the darkness, we need a strong and unwavering searchlight.
The first is a case study on ending impunity. We all recognize the simple equation: impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence guarantees that the virus will spread; conversely, ending impunity and making the perpetrators pay will act as a deterrent.
The challenge is to ensure that our outrage translates into determined and purposeful action, yielding early and measurable results. Before commenting further on the Secretary-General's report, I would wish to note actions undertaken by my Government in the past few months.
My third point pertains to the responsibilities of United Nations peacekeepers, and Chad is the case study. The Secretary-General's report sets out steps being taken to improve the training of peacekeepers with regard to conflict-related sexual violence. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations and UN-Women collaboration in that regard is particularly welcome. The standards for United Nations peacekeepers must be the highest.
My second point is that women are not a footnote; and Somalia is a case study in that regard. The Secretary-General's report sets out the scale of sexual violence in Somalia: the crimes of Al-Shabaab; the groups of men in military uniform who prey on women and girls in internally displaced camps in Mogadishu; the rapes and gang-rapes in camps in Kenya; and the chronic and largely unaddressed sexual violence in Puntland.
The representative of the Israeli regime referred to the case of a woman in Iran. While my delegation strongly refutes the allegations concerning that young lady, I would like to mention that it would have been better for the Israeli representative to talk about the thousands and thousands of Palestinian women and girls who have fallen victim to the atrocities committed by his regime in Gaza and other occupied lands of Palestine.
Women must be free to live their lives without having to face the threat of violence, sexual or otherwise. We note with deep concern the fact that while the Security Council resolutions related to women and peace and security have served to highlight the problem and force action aimed at its elimination, the violations persist. We have every reason to speedily implement resolution 1960 (2010).
We are informed by the Secretary-General's report that over the past year, there have been several new and ongoing armed conflicts in which sexual violence has been widespread, with civilian populations being systematically targeted. What is even more disturbing is the fact that most perpetrators remain at large. Indonesia finds this unfortunate situation unacceptable.
