Justice, Rule of Law and Security Sector Reform

If there is concrete evidence, we are ready to take action against any perpetrator in accordance with the law without impunity. The recent sentencing of seven military personnel to 10 years in prison with hard labour who were involved in the Inn Din incident, is a clear demonstration of the Government’s strong commitment to the rule of law. My delegation categorically rejects the groundless accusatio

Accountability and access to justice are a must. Victims and witnesses of sexual violence have to be ensured access to impartial and safe tribunals and to reparations, including as a form of transitional gender justice, and their safety must be sufficiently addressed during as well as after these legal processes.

We should step up our effort to put an end to the atmosphere of impunity. Initiatives on high political level should be translated to concrete actions to ensure the accountability concept is fully implemented on the ground [...] In terms of enforcing accountability, the Czech Republic continues to support the International Criminal Court and ad hoc international tribunals.

The International Criminal Court plays a central role in the fight against impunity, but states have the primary duty to prevent and investigate cases, and to prosecute the perpetrators.

In Syria, sexual violence has been used as tactic of war and as part of an attack against the civilian population, committed by various parties to the conflict, with rampant impunity. It is shocking in particular that not a single member of ISIL has been prosecuted for sexual violence offenses as of yet.

States should maximize their efforts on both the national and international levels to ensure prosecution of the perpetrators of these crimes. The International Criminal Court plays a key role in this regard by judging crimes that have been recognized by the Rome Statute as war crimes and crimes against humanity, including those that may constitute crimes of genocide.

The widespread fear of reprisals and stigma discourages people subjected to sexual violence from coming forward. Law enforcement agencies are therefore important partners in dealing with violence. Therefore, Switzerland supports police and armed forces by training them about compliance with existing legislation and how to take a victim-centred approach when handling cases of sexual violence.

To end impunity, perpetrators must be brought to justice, and victims and survivors must be assisted in a comprehensive manner in order to fully recover from these violations and be able to reintegrate in their societies. We are also appalled by acts of sexual violence, including rape, child, early and forced marriage, and enslavement, including those committed by terrorist groups such as Daesh.

It is important to address both the causes and consequences of sexual violence. We need to work on deterring new crimes and we need to hold perpetrators accountable.

It is now time for the Council to use these tools to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions. It is now time to end impunity for these criminals and show survivors and the rest of the world that the international community will respond. It is now time that Member States actively develop sanctions designations for perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict.