Implementation

During a recent trip to Guinea-Bissau, in my capacity as Chair of the Guinea-Bissau configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission, I was impressed by the contribution that women's organizations have made to forging a more inclusive political culture in the country.

With the aim of improving the overall situation of women victims of rape, we are making efforts to finalize the process of developing our second action plan for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) for the period 2014-2017, which contains important provisions for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence

Strengthening civil society, including grass-roots women's organizations and networks that provide assistance to victims and survivors of sexual violence in conflict, can enable the restoration of dignity and respect and provide the necessary skills, treatment and care to empower individuals to protect themselves and defend their rights.

Australian Foreign Minister Bishop announced in Jordan this week a $20-million contribution to the United Nations “No lost generation” initiative to support Syrian refugee children, including child survivors of sexual violence. Sexual violence is a persistent and deliberate feature of the conflict in Syria, brutalizing civilians and displacing populations, and is a constant threat in the refugee camps, themselves.

Sexual crimes reported by victims in their testimony were not subject to punitive action until Rwanda, Yugoslavia and Sierra Leone, until the initiatives undertaken in our own countries, because they remained invisible. They were part of war, the spoils that came with vengeance and hate that targeted women's bodies.

We must ensure that the cries of the people of South Sudan do not go unheard. We cannot say that we do not know; and once we know, we have no excuse — we have to act. The responsibility lies with all of us.

We are already seeing progress in that area with the African Union Mission in Somalia, which already has a policy on sexual exploitation and abuse.

The number of victims of sexual violence during armed conflict in Africa is staggering, and tackling the issue of conflict-related sexual violence is one of the critical areas of concern in my new mandate, requiring urgent and effective action at the community, national, regional and international levels. Additional areas of my mandate relate to the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and women's participation in peace processes.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission has made the protection of women's right across the continent a priority, and she is committed to promoting and working to achieve gender equality. She is also making sure that the Commission has a 50/50 workforce parity, in line with the gender policy adopted by the African Union (AU) in 2009.

Moreover, we need to raise the profile of women's networks and civil society organizations, which in many instances serve as first responders to address the scourge of conflict-related sexual violence and are the first to stand in solidarity with survivors.