25 04 14 UN urges greater action to combat sexual violence in 21 conflict countries

“It doesn’t matter whether she comes from Bosnia, she comes from
Colombia or Syria or Central Africa, the pain that a woman feels who has
been raped is the same,” Special Representative on Sexual Violence in
Conflict Zainab Bangura told journalist in New York at the launch of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s annual report on the issue.

Documenting information based on cases recorded by the UN system in 21 countries of concern, the report identifies 34 armed groups, militia and Government security forces, responsible for using rape as a tool in conflict zones.

Among its findings, the report also links sexual violence with local
economies. It notes that rape is used to gain control of territories
with natural resources, including minerals, which are used by groups to
further fuel conflict, as well as human trafficking and illegal drug
trade.

Rape has also been documented as a trigger for mass flight, which
further makes women, and especially youth, vulnerable to abuses. Some
parents trying to protect daughters push them to early and forced
marriages, which has led to cases of human trafficking and sexual
slavery, Ms. Bangura noted.

While impunity for sexual violence remains prevalent, it is particularly
acute in these situations. Under-reporting of sexual assaults is a
function of limited capacity to safely monitor and report, as well as
the result of fear of stigmatization and reprisals by the survivors.

Among the report’s recommendations, Mr. Ban also urges Governments “to work to develop a comprehensive protection and service response for survivors” of sexual violence, including reproductive health services, HIV awareness and response services, and assistance in psychosocial, legal and livelihood aid.

“The UN calls on the countries in question, and the international community, to ensure that men, women and children
who are victims of sexual violence, and children born of rape get the
assistance they need,” Ms. Bangura underlined echoing the report.

The report also urges building the capacity of civil society groups to
better protect against such crimes at the community level. At the
national level, the report recommends engage with state and non-state
parties to obtain commitments to prevent and respond to conflict-related
sexual violence.

Earlier this month, Ms. Bangura and other senior UN officials, including
human rights chief Navi Pillay, called on the Government of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to step up the fight against
impunity for rape and sexual violence, which remain widespread and
largely unpunished. Referring to a report from the UN Joint Human Rights
Office in the DRC (UNJHRO), she noted documented cases of 3,600 people
attacked, nearly half of them in the strife-torn eastern province of
North Kivu, and ranging in age from two years old to 80.

This year’s report also includes a list of groups credibly suspected of
committing or being responsible for patterns of rape and other forms of
sexual violence in situations of armed conflict on the agenda of the
Security Council. These include parties in the Central African Republic,
Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Mali, South Sudan and Syria, among others.