Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

One glaring example is Syria, where the Government continues to demonstrate its utter failure to protect its own citizens. The use of sexual violence and rape by warring parties in Syria has been reported by the independent international commission of inquiry, as well as by numerous human rights organizations. As thousands of civilians flee from war-torn Syria every day, the world is watching in horror as history repeats itself.

We ask that MONUSCO's intervention operations be carefully monitored by the Council. Combat operations are inherently risky for civilian populations, no matter how principled the motivation, whether Blue Helmet or not. We must remember the recent reports in the Kivus about retreating troops committing extensive acts of rape and sexual violence.

The issue of sexual violence in conflict is a global problem, and in recent years its gravity has been demonstrated, in many cases, in Africa, most recently in places not far from Rwanda. Sexual violence in conflict is as complex as it is horrifying.

The deployment of peacekeepers with an explicit mandate to protect civilians from sexual violence has been a very important step. But the challenge is to ensure that such deployment delivers results effectively in the field. Peacekeepers must be supported with appropriate training and resources to enable them to fulfil their protection mandate.

Sanctions can, in appropriate cases, play an important role in combating sexual violence.

Just as many Member States have assiduously addressed sexual violence in their domestic environments, so, too, must the international community be equally resolved to make good on its commitment to protect populations from that all-too-prevalent scourge. It can do that through the actions and decisions — and with the support — of the Council.

In that connection, we are all the more pleased to note from the assessment in the Security Council Report cross-cutting report entitled Women, Peace and Security: Violence in Conflict and Sanctions that, despite ongoing controversy at the thematic level, the Council has, in country-specific situations, continued to apply the substance of the principles that it had previously developed on women and peace and security. That is good news.

Even better news is the assessment that there seems to be an emerging trend, when new problems emerge, as recently they did in Mali and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to have explicit women peace and security language incorporated into mandates at the outset of a mission. We urge that that trend continue.

Violence against women, especially sexual violence, has an enormous impact on many aspects of family and society. For example, it is used to this day as a weapon of war to break down societies

Thirdly, we support the recommendations on increasing attention given to the role of small arms, as was successfully done in the negotiations on the Arms Trade Treaty.