Justice, Rule of Law and Security Sector Reform

There is a need to combat impunity and bring the perpetrators of sexual violence to justice. Sexual violence must be prosecuted at both the national and international levels. However, we have noticed with great concern that sexual violence is underreported at both the national level and in conflict situations.

At the international level, we urge States to fully comply with international humanitarian law, international human rights law and the International Criminal Court mechanisms, which need to be strengthened.

My delegation supports the initiatives of the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict to assist States in strengthening the rule of law, transitional justice and security sector reform.

Strengthening inclusive and solid societies must be an essential part in re-establishing the rule of law, both in societies living with armed conflict and those that are undergoing the process of reconstruction and reconciliation.

My country is currently moving forward with a review process of our legal and institutional framework with the aim of ensuring its confirmity with a plan of action for comprehensive implementation of the resolution. The process seeks to systematize some of the activities that are already being developed at the internal level, such as educating the armed forces on women's rights.

In that regard, we note the Declaration facilitated by Mexico and Denmark and adopted at the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels in September 2012. The text enshrines “the importance of ensuring that women...fully enjoy the benefits of the rule of law” (General Assembly resolution 67/1, para.

My delegation is concerned with the often inadequate legal frameworks on women's rights in post-conflict countries. In that matter, we could take a page from the lessons learned through established courts, such as the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Tribunal of the Former Yugoslavia, which offer insightful lessons from the prosecution of sexual and gender-based crimes.

Malaysia remains concerned about sexual and gender-based crimes and strongly believes that ending impunity is crucial in our quest to put an end to sexual violence in times of conflict.

In our effort to secure peace and security, we must move urgently to replace the prevailing culture of impunity with one that promotes the rule of law, justice and accountability.

Of all violations afflicting women in conflict situations, sexual violence, which constitutes a direct attack against physical integrity, unavoidably comes to mind when one speaks of transitional justice and the issue of reparations.