YouSaid · the spoken record

Bangura

lines on the record: 230
first: 1994-05-25
most recent: 2016-12-20
sittings or episodes: 18
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“The delegation observed the unfolding situation of violence in the Central African Republic and, in some cases, eye-witnessed near-lynching incidents and empty villages with homes still burning. We learned about the growing strength and organization of armed groups, in particular anti-Balaka, who have colluded with former elements of the Forces arme'es centrafricaines (FACA) and are targeting Muslim combatants and civilians. Likewise, Muslim civilians have created militias to protect themselves and have engaged in retaliatory attacks, reportedly with the aid of Sele'ka and Chadian elements. Sexual violence continues to be pervasive in the conflict.”
2014-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7098 (2014) · source
“At the invitation of Special Representative of the Secretary-General Babacar Gaye, I dispatched Nancee Oku Bright, my Chief of Staff, to participate in a joint mission to the Central African Republic, together with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, from 17 to 21 December 2013. The mission was assisted by a joint technical-level mission organized in conjunction with the Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, from 12 to 23 December, which travelled to Bouar and coordinated with a fact-finding team deployed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights, during the same period.”
2014-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7098 (2014) · source
“Part of the tragedy is that this extreme animosity is new; previously, those communities lived with each other, worked side by side and intermarried. Clearly this could have been prevented. The participation of children in the commission of those atrocious crimes may signify the point of no return, beyond which the cohabitation of certain communities may be impossible in the near future. There should be no doubt that the violence in the Central African Republic will stain the conscience of its people and the world forever.”
2014-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7098 (2014) · source
“I referred to two joint communiques, the first signed between the United Nations and the Government and the other with armed groups participating in the national steering committee on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, aimed at consolidating the commitment of the parties to the conflict to prevent crimes of conflict-related sexual violence. I also recalled that the Central African Republic was a forgotten conflict, and I warned the international community to pay particular attention to the management of regional aspects of the crisis. Today, the situation in Central African Republic has deteriorated and many of the worst predictions have, unfortunately, come true. Communities have taken up weapons, killing each other based on religious affinity.”
2014-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7098 (2014) · source
“Ms. Bangura: I want to thank the Security Council, under the presidency of the Kingdom of Jordan, for inviting us to contribute to the efforts to end violence in the Central African Republic. I am also grateful to the Permanent Representation of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for supporting this initiative. Exactly one year ago, I briefed the Council following my visit to the Central African Republic from 5 to 13 December 2012 (see S/PV.6899). I noted the horrendous trends of sexual violence and warned that, if parties were not made to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, the consequences would be grave.”
2014-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7098 (2014) · source
“Sexual violence has been used throughout the ages precisely because it is such a cheap and devastating weapon. But for the first time in history, we can reverse that reality. It will require leadership and political courage, and a relentless determination to match the cold, calculating brutality of those who would rape the innocent for military or political gain. I believe that we have the collective will, and increasingly the tools, to make it an unsustainable liability for parties to use sexual violence as a weapon of war. The resolve of the Council and the international community as a whole has set us firmly on the path of accountability and prevention. We must stay the course until we achieve the critical mass of action that will turn the tide on history's oldest and least condemned crime.”
2013-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6984 (2013) · source
“My experience to date reinforces my belief that it is at the country level that will and resolve are most urgently required to implement national legislation, strengthen institutions for the prosecution of crimes of sexual violence and to enhance capacity to care for survivors. I cannot overemphasize that the commitment of the United Nations system, however great it may be, can never substitute for the political will and action of national actors. The United Nations, through the United Nations Action Network of 13 entities, stands ready to support local efforts. But national actors must lead from the front, and the international community must support their efforts with adequate resources and technical assistance. Today it is still largely cost-free to rape a woman, child or man in conflict.”
2013-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6984 (2013) · source
“In the coming months, we also hope to accelerate the deployment of women's protection advisers to the relevant United Nations peacekeeping and special political missions. The women's protection advisers are a new cadre of specialists combining political and security expertise, human rights monitoring and gender analysis. Their principal role is to catalyse the implementation of the key operational aspects of the Council's resolutions on sexual violence in conflict. Since taking office, in September 2012, I have placed particular emphasis on engaging national stakeholders in order to foster national ownership, leadership and responsibility.”
2013-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6984 (2013) · source
“Crucially, the draft resolution calls on all parties to a conflict to make specific commitments to prevent sexual violence, and challenges the United Nations to engage with parties to illicit such commitments. Such an engagement-based approach has already begun to yield results, with several formal agreements between the United Nations and affected countries to address conflict-related sexual violence. The United Nations Team of Experts plays an important role in that regard, serving as a ready resource for national authorities in their efforts to strengthen the rule-of-law response to sexual violence. That is proving to be an innovative and valuable tool for Governments, and should be further reinforced.”
2013-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6984 (2013) · source
“That gives fundamental recognition to the principle that there can be no viable peace and security when the security of women is not at the heart of peacemaking. The draft resolution emphasizes that sexual violence must be specifically reflected in other critical peace and security processes and arrangements, such as security sector reform and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes. That includes ensuring that those who commit, command or condone sexual violence be vetted and excluded from positions of influence and power. The draft resolution emphasizes the need for comprehensive and multidimensional strategies for us to meet our obligations to the survivors of sexual violence - the critical health, psychosocial, legal and other interventions that they must have to rebuild their lives.”
2013-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6984 (2013) · source
“In its scope, operational detail and clarity, the draft resolution encapsulates the evolution of our understanding of conflict-related sexual violence and what it takes to prevent it. As such it, outlines a comprehensive operational approach to tackle the problem. The draft resolution places emphasis on a more consistent and rigorous investigation and prosecution of sexual violence crimes as a central aspect of deterrence and, ultimately, prevention. Essentially, we must raise the cost and consequences for those who commit such crimes. The draft resolution also stresses that considerations of sexual violence must be explicitly and consistently reflected in peace processes, ceasefires and peace agreements.”
2013-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6984 (2013) · source
“That paradigm shift requires a new approach to attack the scourge of war-time rape. Among other things, it compels us to expand the circle of stakeholders beyond the traditional gender experts, to also engage uniformed peacekeepers, mediators, ceasefire monitors, war-crime prosecutors and the full range of civilian-protection and justice-sector actors. The draft resolution to be adopted by the Council today consolidates that approach. It reinforces the robust conceptual framework, the infrastructure and the elements of the compliance regime established by resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1960 (2010) - a compliance regime based on reliable and timely information and analysis, and the political, strategic and tactical-level actions that must be taken on the basis of such information.”
2013-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6984 (2013) · source
“Over the course of five years, we have seen significant progress at the political level, advances led largely by the Security Council. Its engagement has shattered an enduring myth that has paralysed action for too long, namely, that sexual violence is culturally or socially unspeakable, that it is an inevitable by-product of war for which little can be done, or that it does not merit such singular focus because in the hierarchy of human rights violations sexual violence is a lesser evil. To the contrary, the resolutions of the Security Council affirm that this crime, when committed systematically and used as a tool ofwar, is a fundamental threat to the maintenance of international peace and security, and as such requires an operational, security and justice response.”
2013-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6984 (2013) · source
“Their battle continues as they struggle with physical and psychological injuries, stigma and isolation, poverty and destitution. That is what I have witnessed in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in many other countries devastated by war. Conflict- related sexual violence, when left unaddressed by justice and reparations, can have a profound impact on the sustainability of peace and the prospects for developments. That is why the theme oftoday's debate - combating impunity for sexual violence - is of the utmost relevance and urgency. By focusing on impunity, we make a more concerted effort to put the spotlight on the perpetrators, that is, on those who commit, or command, or condone sexual violence in conflicts. In so doing, we begin to re-direct the stigma and the consequences of sexual violence from the survivors to the perpetrators.”
2013-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6984 (2013) · source
“While the perpetrators have enjoyed the fruits of peace and have been free to rebuild their lives, their victims continue to work in the shadows and in shame, unable to lay the past to rest and to move forward. In their day-to-day lives, survivors of sexual violence are forced to face the men who raped them - in banks, in supermarkets and at the schools of their children, children whose "inheritance" is the stigma of sexual violence, many of whom are offspring born of rape. Those women told me that they could look forward to the future when that future continued to be determined by many of the very people who had destroyed their lives. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the guns may have fallen silent 20 years ago, but for the survivors of sexual Violence the war has not ended.”
2013-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6984 (2013) · source
“Twenty years ago, the United Nations provided irrefutable evidence that the widespread and systematic rape of women, girls and men was being perpetrated in the countries of the former Yugoslavia. That led to unprecedented advances in international jurisprudence - the recognition of rape as a war crime and crime against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunals established for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Two weeks ago, I Visited Bosnia and Herzegovina, where an estimated 50,000 women were targeted with rape and other forms of sexual violence during four years of conflict. But 20 years after peace was re-established, impunity for those crimes still reigns. There have been only a handful of prosecutions.”
2013-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6984 (2013) · source
“Ms. Bangura: I wish to thank the Secretary- General for his statement. His personal commitment to this cause ensures that sexual violence in conflict remain a critical concern for the entire United Nations system, and challenges us to work in unison. I would like to thank the Government of the United Kingdom, especially Foreign Secretary William Hague, for hosting this open debate on sexual violence in conflict and for being among the leading torch-bearers and champions for this agenda. I also wish to thank Jane Adong Anywar for representing the essential work undertaken by civil society groups, which are on the front line of this battle every day. I also thank Angelina Jolie for being here today and standing in solidarity. Her voice is a light in the darkness for many survivors.”
2013-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6984 (2013) · source
“We have watched and we have discussed, and now it is time to take concrete action. My resolve in fighting sexual violence in conflict is strengthened, and I intend to visit Syria as soon as possible. In my corner, I have the support of the Security Council and the support, expressed in a declaration signed last week, of the Group of Eight. Therefore, on behalf of the survivors, I once again plead with the members of Security Council and Governments with influence over the parties to the conflict to demonstrate their commitment and to translate their will into results by ending the carnage and protecting the Syrian people, especially women and children.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“Amos, remain out of reach of international assistance and media attention. What do we know about the human rights violations that are being perpetrated against displaced women and children? What measures can we put in place to prevent and respond to sexual violence against them? As I recently saw in Somalia, the insecure nature of internally displaced person camps and settlements, the presence of armed men in and around such camps and the fact that the camp population consists mostly of single women, female-headed households and widows means that they are easy prey for sexual violence. It is imperative that the Government allow access for human rights monitors with a view to reporting, as well as for service providers to be able to respond to survivors of sexual violence.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“In various refugee camps, a distressing trend of coerced marriage of young Syrian girls has emerged, with families seeking to lessen the burden of dependents on their dwindling resources. However, I am heartened to note that at least one report from a camp in Jordan indicates that families are rejecting marriage offers from outsiders and have chosen to delay the marriage of their girls in view of the unstable environment. Allegations of the human trafficking of young women and girls are also on the rise, while a severe shortage ofmedical and psychosocial counselling services remains. There are also those in Syria who are less visible and less heard from, but no less vulnerable - the Syrians who are uprooted within their country, many of whom, as we just heard from my colleague, Ms.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“They need support to rebuild their lives, with urgent access to emergency medical services, including services to prevent pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, as well as legal assistance and social support. The United Nations and non-governmental organization partners are putting in place services and referral and coordination mechanisms in some neighbouring countries, but greater support and more targeted funding are required. One ofthe priorities is to establish medical centres in border areas to address war injuries, including sexual violence. It is also imperative that services for survivors be made available and accessible inside Syria. As wejust heard from my two colleagues, thousands ofpeople flee Syria every day to neighbouring countries in search of safety and protection, but they continue to be vulnerable.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“They can misinform and they can lie, but my message to them is clear: justice may be delayed, but it will not be denied. We will pursue them by any and all means, we will find them, and one day bring them to justice. It is a terrible truth that sexual violence maims the survivors not only physically, but also psychologically and socially, with deep and long-lasting consequences. The stigma that attaches to survivors means that crimes are rarely reported. Victims face the risk of honour killings by their family members or of being forcibly married to their rapists. Survivors feel they would rather be killed than raped. In fact, many have tried to commit suicide. While we work to end conflicts, we must not forget our obligations to the survivors of sexual violence.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“I strongly urge the leadership of the Free Syrian Army and other armed groups to halt such violations, to issue clear directives to commanders throughout their chains of command to prevent sexual violence, and to hold those who commit, command or condone such crimes accountable. I also urge President Al-Assad, in the strongest terms possible, to ensure that all persons in Government custody are treated humanely, in accordance with international human rights and humanitarian law. I reiterate my call for the Syrian authorities to investigate all allegations of sexual violence and to hold each and every perpetrator accountable. The perpetrators I have referred to know that the world is watching. They know that the international community will hold those responsible for such heinous acts liable.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“We know that war can be brutal, but to fight it on the bodies of women and children - humiliating and punishing them and subjecting them to absolute terror - can never be acceptable. In response to my briefing to the Security Council in February, the Syrian Government shared with me, in a letter, details of some incidents of kidnapping, sexual violence, torture and other serious human rights violations carried out by opposition fighters, as well as information about the arrests of some of those perpetrators by Syrian security forces. The International Federation for Human Rights interviewed a Syrian man who had witnessed the kidnapping of a young girl by elements of the Free Syrian Army. The girl was raped and then killed. Her body was thrown in front of her house, with the blame allegedly attributed to the Syrian Army.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“A 14-year old boy was threatened with rape during interrogation, while a 14-year old girl, whose mother had links with the opposition, was abducted from the streets by four men, two of whom were in military uniform. The girl was held captive for days. During interrogation, she was beaten with electrical wire, given injections and had cigarettes extinguished on her chest. She was denied food and water for extended periods of time and was then raped by four men. On her release, the girl was taken out of the country. Since then, she has tried to commit suicide three times. What was those children's crimes? The boy could have been our son; the girl could have been our daughter.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“The commission noted numerous cases of sexual violence committed by Government forces and the Shabbiha, including the use of sexual violence in detention, the targeting of family members of opposition fighters, and the rape of women and girls during house searches and at checkpoints, which could amount to crimes against humanity or war crimes. The commission, in its March update, reported that those widespread patterns of sexual violations continued. In one indicative case, between 25 and 60 women were forcibly disembarked from a bus and detained by Government forces, with multiple accounts alleging that the women were sexually abused. The systematic practice of sexual violence in detention as part of an organized policy against women, men and even children is also appalling.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“We are aware that both Government forces and opposition fighters are abducting women and girls to extract intelligence, at times using them as leverage for the release of prisoners. With the conflict becoming increasingly sectarian and violations more militarized, the presence of foreign fighters, including those affiliated with Islamist groups, who have joined armed opposition groups have increased the vulnerability of civilians and the possibility of revenge rapes against them. Earlier this year, in February, I briefed the Security Council and brought to the Council's attention the incidents of sexual violence highlighted in the report of the international commission of inquiry on Syria.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“Ms. Bangura: I thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to brief the Security Council and for your continued and unwavering support in addressing sexual violence in conflict. Today I am here to plead with the Council on behalf ofthe victims of sexual violence in Syria. Those victims have been raped, tortured and humiliated. They are either internally displaced or live as refugees. They do not have a voice, and they are not part of any statistics. We estimate that there are hundreds of survivors, but this could be only the tip of the iceberg. Women and girls displaced by the conflict relate that sexual violence, including rape, is one of the main reasons why they have fled their homes and left the country. We hear of girls being raped in front of their fathers, wives in front of their husbands.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“We must believe that sexual violence in conflict is not inevitable. To eradicate it is not a "mission impossible", but will require political leadership and political courage, matched by bold protection initiatives on the ground. It is our hope, therefore, that, on the basis of the Secretary-General's report and his recommendations, the Security Council will once again show its resolve and unity of purpose and adopt in June a new resolution on sexual violence in conflict - one focused on accountability and prevention so as to further consolidate and institutionalize the sexual violence response in the context of the United Nations peace and security architecture and Council mandates. May this be a decisive moment - our moment to put an end to the crime that is a blight on our collective humanity.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“The gravitas of the Council and the mandate established by the Council to address sexual Violence in conflict open doors at the highest levels. We will continue to rely on the Security Council to support such an engagement-based approach. I was also delighted last week to participate in the Group of Eight ministerial meeting in London, which endorsed the historic declaration on the prevention of sexual violence in conflict. The declaration represents important political and financial support. It gives us additional momentum at a crucial moment. The impetus afforded by such support at the highest levels of the international system is key to driving forward the prevention and protection agenda on the ground. We have an opportunity, unlike at any time in history, to break the back of this age-old evil.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“In the meantime, I urge the Colombian authorities to ensure that sexual violence considerations are explicitly reflected in the ongoing peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. I also intend to take up invitations by the authorities in Syria, Mali and South Sudan to visit as soon as possible. Conducting country Visits will continue to be a key aspect of the mandate. Through such visits, we can bear witness to the plight of survivors and carry their voices to those in power. They are intended to open space locally for dialogue and action on sexual Violence. They serve as a means to engage parties to conflict to make tangible protection commitments. They aim to foster international cooperation on the implementation of such mandates.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“During her visit, the Vice-President, speaking on behalf of the Government, expressed openness to the idea of developing what he referred to as a "framework of cooperation" that outlined key technical areas in which the United Nations and the Government might enhance cooperation to address sexual violence in conflict. The multifaceted response of the Colombian authorities to sexual violence in conflict carries important lessons for our global response. The key challenge in Colombia remains implementation, and it is my intention to follow up on Ms. Wallstrom's visit and to offer the technical support of the United Nations, including the Team of Experts, which have already conducted a follow-up Visit.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“As a principle, that reference was exemplary and must be carried forward in the Central African Republic process and elsewhere. Let us therefore make the commitment around this table today that, in situations where sexual Violence is a concern, there will never again be a peace agreement, ceasefire agreement or ceasefire verification mechanism that does not explicitly address sexual violence. That includes the agreements that must eventually be concluded in Mali and Syria to bring an end to those conflicts. I also wish to draw the attention of the Council to the Visit to Colombia by my predecessor, Margot Wallstrom, shortly before she left office.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“We must send a clear message to the Seleka coalition and all the parties to the conflict that they are expected to uphold the commitments made. They must immediately identify and release all forcibly recruited children and women from their ranks. They also have to issue and implement clear orders prohibiting sexual violence and investigate all allegations, so as to hold perpetrators to account. The international community and the Council should insist that no party can be a credible partner in the peace process unless those basic conditions are met. I wish to highlight the fact that the ceasefire signed by the Seleka coalition in January did include explicit reference to sexual violence as part of the definition of that ceasefire.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“Addressing sexual violence is an essential prerequisite for durable peace and development. I urge international donors to match their strong political commitment with the necessary financial resources, particularly for the provision of services to survivors on the ground. If we are to break that evil in Somalia and elsewhere, the level of financial commitment must meet the level of political commitment. As the Council is aware, I also visited the Central African Republic in December 2012. Like all of us around this table, I am distressed by the subsequent outbreaks of conflict that have shredded the Libreville Peace Agreement, costing lives and resulting in sexual Violence, child recruitment and other grave human rights violations. A number of commitments were made by the parties during my visit, which were expressed in two communiques.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“Last week, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, speaking to military cadets in Mogadishu, declared that security forces who raped citizens of Somalia would be fought and defeated like any enemy of the State. I commend the President and his Government for their resolve to address the problem. We anticipate that a joint communique outlining a framework of cooperation to address sexual violence will be adopted in early May, when the international community convenes for the Somalia conference to be held in London. The fact that preventing sexual violence will be one of the central issues discussed at that conference is an important commitment in itself. It signals that the issue does not remain on the margins of the discourse on peace consolidation in Somalia.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“The Parliament of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is also committed to establishing a parliamentary working group on sexual violence, and the Senate and the National Assembly will hold a special session on the issue. The communique presents an opportunity for renewed action on sexual violence prevention and the response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Together we must hold the President to his commitments. At the same time, we must support him and his Government - technically and financially - so that they can deal decisively with the problem. In Somalia, our collective efforts over the past months have freed Luul Ali Osman and those who have dared to speak out in support of her cause.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“Faced with such horror, we are compelled to turn the despair in our hearts into unshakeable resolve that this will not happen to our children - a resolve that matches the ruthlessness of those who would commit such crimes with our own relentless and unwavering pursuit of accountability, and, ultimately, deterrence and prevention. I am pleased today to announce ajoint communique of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Nations to strengthen cooperation in a number of critical areas, signed by the Prime Minister at the end of my visit. It reflects the firm commitment that was made to me by President Kabila Kabange to more effectively prosecute crimes of sexual violence.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“However, I cannot overemphasize that the commitment of the United Nations system, however great it may be, can never substitute for the political will and action of national authorities. Three weeks ago I undertook my first trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I visited a community where last year 11 babies between the ages of 6 and 12 months old were raped by elements of Mai-Mai Simba/Lumumba, led by Morgan. It is unimaginable that anyone could have committed such atrocities. Yet, under the cold light of strategy and tactics, the rationale and purpose is clear. What more effective way can there be to destroy a community than to target and devastate its children?”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“It is at the country level that the political will is most required to strengthen national laws, institutions and capacities to prosecute sexual Violence crimes, and to care for survivors. This cannot be only a United Nations issue. It belongs first and foremost to Member States, who bear the primary legal and moral responsibility to ensure the protection and well-being of their citizens. The role of my Office, of the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict, and of the United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict network, which is composed of 13 United Nations entities working together to address this problem, is to support national authorities so as to strengthen their responses.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“Today it is still largely "cost-free" to rape a woman, child or man in conflict. Sexual violence has been used through the ages precisely because it is such a cheap and devastating weapon. We can and must reverse that reality, making it a massive liability to commit, command or condone sexual violence in conflict. Since taking office in September 2012, I have placed particular emphasis on engaging national stakeholders in order to foster national ownership, leadership and responsibility. While actions by the Council or the work of international justice mechanisms such as the International Criminal Court are essential to send a zero-tolerance message to perpetrators, ultimately they complement the measures that must be taken at the national level.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“They must know that they will be pursued by any and all means at our collective disposal. In the process, we will begin to transfer the stigma of this crime from the survivors to the perpetrators. The main promise of resolution 1960 (2010) is prevention. It sets us on the path of accountability and deterrence. In that respect, it marks a political commitment to bring all of the Security Council's tools to bear in preventing the atrocity of wartime rape. The purpose of the 1960 (2010) accountability regime is to influence the conduct of perpetrators and would-be perpetrators. Going forward, we must reinforce that regime. An effective compliance system can, for the first time, raise the cost and consequences for those who would commit such crimes, where until now the price has been borne by their victims.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“The report also stresses the acute lack of services for victims. It is absolutely essential that we continue to meet our obligations to the survivors - the critical health, psychosocial, legal and other interventions that they must have to rebuild their lives. At the same time, we also have to throw a more concerted spotlight on the perpetrators, that is, those who commit, command or condone sexual violence in conflict. The continued engagement of the Security Council must serve as an unequivocal statement of intent: sexual violence in conflict will not be tolerated, and the full force of international order will be brought to bear to ensure accountability for such crimes. The perpetrators must understand that there can be no hiding place, no amnesty, no safe harbour.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“The report highlights some critical themes such as the nexus between sexual violence and the illicit extraction of natural resources; sexual violence as a driver of the displacement of civilian populations; forced marriage, rape and sexual violence by armed groups; sexual violence as a tactic in the context of detention or interrogation; and the plight of children born out of wartime rape, about whom there is little or no information available and therefore no meaningful programmatic interventions. The report emphasizes the urgency of ensuring that sexual violence considerations are explicitly and consistently reflected in peace processes, ceasefires and peace agreements, and in all security-sector reform and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes in which the United Nations is involved.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“Practically, it requires us to expand the circle of stakeholders beyond gender experts to also engage uniformed peacekeepers, mediators, ceasefire monitors, war-crimes prosecutors and the full range of civilian-protection actors. Notwithstanding the progress that has been made as a result of the engagement of the Council, the report of the Secretary-General (S/2013/l49) before members today paints a grim picture. In total, it covers 22 situations: conflict, post-conflict and other situations of concern. It also lists 32 parties in the annex to the report. Ofthose, six are State actors, while 26 are non-State actors.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“The Council has led from the front, ushering in a paradigm shift that has fundamentally altered our approach to dealing with sexual violence in conflict. Crucially, the Security Council's engagement has challenged long-standing myths that sexual violence is cultural, private, inevitable, or simply the random acts of a few renegades. Resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1960 (2010) affirm that sexual violence, when committed systematically and used as a tool of war, is a fundamental threat to the maintenance of international peace and security, and as such requires an operational security and justice response. It is an affirmation that there can be no credible security approach that does not take into account the security of women as part of its central calculus.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“They are mothers and caregivers to the next generation; they are the healers, the economic backbone, the peacemakers and the peacekeepers. That is why today we lift our voices in unison and once again join hands around this high table to renew our pact to break the silence and turn the tide on war's oldest and least condemned crime. In so doing, we stand in solidarity with the many thousands of victims and survivors around the world - not only women, but also children and men - to say to them that they are not forgotten, that their plight is of the highest priority, at the highest level of the international system. Over the course of five years we have witnessed progress towards eradicating this crime.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“Her case reminds us of the tremendous risks associated with reporting sexual Violence, not only for the survivors themselves but for their families, the staff of non-governmental organizations who provide vital services and the journalists who try to shed light on such crimes. For too long, war has been waged on the bodies of women like Luul. For too long, women have borne the crippling consequences - physical, psychological, social and economic - ofwartime rape. They have been ostracized by their communities, cast out by husbands and families, left destitute with their children. With sexual Violence women lose everything, and in the process communities themselves are lost, because women are the life force of their communities.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“Ms. Bangura: I wish to thank the Government of Rwanda for convening this debate on sexual violence in conflict. I am also grateful for your presence, Madam Minister, to preside over the debate, as well as for this opportunity to address the Security Council. I should like to start my statement by thanking the Secretary-General for his personal leadership in advancing this agenda, which has made a huge difference for me in carrying forward that agenda. Three weeks, ago I Visited Somalia. In Mogadishu, I met Luul Ali Osman, who, three months ago, faced the terrible weight of censure, arrest and imprisonment for having dared to speak out about her rape by security forces in a camp for internally displaced persons.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“As the briefing of Special Representative of the Secretary-General Vogt underscored, addressing security issues, including the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of combatants and reform of the security sector, is the prerequisite for sustainable prevention and response to sexual violence. The state of chronic emergency impedes all aspects of humanitarian and development work in the country. However, it is my belief that, with greater focus at the highest political level and the strategic and sustained dedication of resources, it is possible to make progress. It will be crucial to ensure that any assistance provided is predicated on the Government taking national ownership and responsibility.”
2013-01-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6899 (2013) · source