Justice, Rule of Law and Security Sector Reform

Sexual violence in conflict represents one of the most serious forms of violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Such violations cause a lifetime of pain that cannot be healed.

With regard to the justice sector and the armed forces, as the report indicates, Colombia has adopted a zero-tolerance policy. It is supplemented by a manual and protocol that serve as a guide for members of the armed forces in addressing sexual violence that may occur as a result of armed conflict. That document is widely disseminated among members of the armed forces.

We are surprised that some examples of the situation in Colombia mentioned in the report do not include sufficient information on the incidents that took place.

China condemns all violence against women in armed conflict, including sexual violence. China supports the full implementation of the relevant resolutions of the Council and urges parties in conflict to abide by international humanitarian law and other relevant international law to effectively protect the safety of women and other disadvantaged groups. I would like to emphasize three points.

We agree with the Secretary-General when he states in his report that national tribunals continue to bear the primary responsibilty for the fight against impunity for cases of sexual violence and are an important complement to the efforts of the International Criminal Court, fundamentally in terms of restoring victims' dignity and holding perpetrators legally accountable.

Canada supports the Special Representative's activities to ensure the prevention of and response to conflict-related sexual violence and to ensure the health, security and dignity of survivors and their access to justice. Conflict-related sexual violence is of great concern to Canada.

That preventive role requires resources compatible with the magnitude of the tasks involved. Brazil has taken some meaningful steps. We have signed a letter of intent with UN-Women to deepen our cooperation regarding the training of peacekeepers on gender issues and the promotion of South-South cooperation on gender issues involving peacekeeping training centres in Latin America and Africa.

Prevention is always the best remedy. It involves, in the first place, strengthening national capacities, addressing the needs of States in terms of institution-building, training personnel, supporting victims and promoting the rule of law. Developing national awareness-raising activities and information campaigns to break taboos and misperceptions around the issue is also important.

As an important element in efforts to achieve justice, the fight against impunity is essential as a means to put an end to sexual violence in conflict. It acts as a deterrent for perpetrators and contributes to righting the wrongs done to victims. Brazil appreciates the work that Ms. Bangura's Office carries out in support of the strengthening of national capacities aimed at bringing perpetrators to justice.

Sexual violence in armed conflict represents one of the most serious forms of the violation or abuse of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The prevention of sexual violence in armed conflict is therefore both a matter of upholding universal human rights and of maintaining international peace and security, in keeping with the relevant Security Council resolutions.