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I thank the French Presidency for convening this open debate on conflict-related sexual violence. I also thank the briefers for their critical contributions and testimonies. My delegation aligns itself with the statement made on behalf of the EU.   Primitive yet effective, rape as a tool of war is raging in the 21st century. Women and girls sold as cattle in slave markets, beaten, killed, or burned to death for resisting their abusers. Children born of rape, hated and shunned, living reminders to their mothers of the horrific ordeal they had been through. Men and boys, sexually abused to break them down and humiliate their communities.

As crises rage, human traffickers are expanding their hunting grounds, preying on the displaced, the refugees, and the most vulnerable.

Yet most sexual crimes don’t ever get reported-  be it  for customs that  victimize the victims and let go of  the abusers;  fear  of stigmatization and rejection;  pervasive sense of insecurity, especially if the rapists hold positions of power; or simply because there is no one around to report to.    

Even in this Council, addressing rape as a tool of war can be difficult. Suffice to remember the case of Tabit, where some delegations, instead of putting women’s safety and dignity first, chose to doubt that abuse took place at all.

Mr. President,

We cannot allow indifference to set in because indifference is the mother of impunity.

Even the best of tools that we have to tackle sexual violence in conflict won’t work  if women continue to be bystanders of peace negotiations,  peace building, and post-conflict reconstruction.

Making a difference requires full integration and mainstreaming of gender perspective into the Council’s – and the whole of UN’s- work, with coherent, consistent and credible actions at all levels. 

As the SG points out in his report, a gendered perspective is also key to all counter-terrorism and CVE efforts.

We are on the right track, but the road to go remains much longer than the one we’ve covered.

With regard to human trafficking, it does not take place in isolation. Same routes, same criminal networks, same ploys are used to traffic the spoils of war – be it arms, drugs, or human beings.

To stem human trafficking, comprehensive efforts are required to tackle trans-border crime and terrorist networks, including through enhanced regional and sub-regional cooperation.  

Council PRST 2015/25 spells out a whole range of measures aimed at tackling human trafficking. But as our Irish colleague has said, norms are of little use without action.

Besides iterations of what needs to be done it would be useful to assess how existing provisions are being implemented, what works, what doesn’t and how to make it work. Such implementation focused approach would have a concrete added value. 

Mr. President,

Victims cannot wait a lifetime to obtain justice. As noted in UNSG’s report, individual countries are taking steps to pursue accountability- small ones compared to the scope of the problem, yet a good start.

We appreciate the work done by the SRSG’s office and the Team of Experts on Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict which continues to assist countries in strengthening their capacity to address conflict-related sexual violence, and ensure the protection of victims and witnesses. 

Most conflict-affected countries however lack adequate national capacity and expertise to prevent, investigate and prosecute sexual violence and human trafficking.

Where actions at a national level are not yet possible, international justice mechanisms can play a critical role, including the ICC. The historic trial against Bosco Ntaganda and the Court’s judgement issued in the case of Jean-Pierre Bemba are encouraging signals that accountability can be achieved.

We call on the Council to make better use of the sanctions tool to seek accountability for sexual abuse. Even though rape is included as a listing criterion in many sanctions regimes, the listings on this basis are few and far between. The lengthy procedure of sanctioning LRA, for example, a group on UNSG’s list, is but of the many reminders that a more vigorous approach is needed. Listing criteria should be further refined to include human trafficking for the purpose of sexual enslavement.

Mr. President,

Because of the very nature of sexual abuse, speaking out on the subject is difficult, even in peaceful societies where women enjoy all the rights. Imagine doing this in situations of conflict and serial discrimination of women and girls.

But some do, as Nadia Murad, a Yezidi survivor of sexual enslavement. Her courage and fortitude should be an example to many  victims seeking to break out of the stigma and shame.

To help them do so, there is a dire need for public, religious, and community leaders to personally engage in helping to shift the stigma from the victims of sexual abuse to the perpetrators of those heinous crimes.

The good practices that exist in this field, as the work of Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq and others providing shelter for trafficking victims and promoting victim destigmatisation need to be supported and shared.

UN country teams and peace  operations  on the ground can be instrumental in  helping to overcome the damaging stereotypes, through specific education, training and  advocacy programmes; and also assisting the creation of necessary victim support, care and reparations mechanisms, to give sexual violence and trafficking victims a new chance at life.