YouSaid · the spoken record

Wallstriim

lines on the record: 105
first: 2010-04-27
most recent: 2016-05-11
sittings or episodes: 9
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

“They deserve our empathy and support, and therefore I appeal to the Security Council to ensure that MONUSCO's strong protection mandate is also backed by adequate financial resources and other critical assets for the Mission to do its work. There seems to be a widening gap between the expectations of MONUSCO and the means the Mission has to execute its mandate. It is also vital that Council members and other influential Member States provide the requisite political backing for MONUSCO. We have challenged our peacekeepers to adopt a more robust and proactive posture to protect civilians, and this must be matched by a more robust posture at the political level. MONUSCO's response is just one facet of the broader United Nations system response to conflict- related sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2010-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6400 (2010) · source
“I also encourage European countries and other Member States to enact legislation requiring companies to disclose whether their products contain minerals sourced from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is not only a fundamental issue of corporate responsibility, but also an opportunity for consumers to make choices that make a difference. I want to take a moment to focus on our peacekeepers themselves. I have witnessed firsthand their determination to do all they possibly can to protect civilians, but the reality is that they are overstretched and underresourced. They are demoralized by the sheer scale of the problems and by the constant barrage of criticism from all quarters. These are dedicated women and men who are making tremendous sacrifices to serve.”
2010-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6400 (2010) · source
“That will require additional resources as a matter of urgency. The mass rapes in Walikale demonstrate a nexus between the illicit exploitation of natural resources by armed elements and patterns of sexual violence. It is evident that communities in lucrative mining areas are at particularly high risk. The mineral wealth that should be the source of their prosperity is instead the source of their greatest suffering. I encourage more concerted attention on this issue. Therefore, mass rapes that occurred in Walikale should also be investigated from the angle of the competition over mining interests as one of the root causes of conflict and sexual violence.”
2010-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6400 (2010) · source
“3 I call on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to swiftly investigate such allegations and hold any perpetrators to account. The protection of civilians must be the primary consideration of the operations in Walikale. I urge the deployment of the national police to Walikale specifically to ensure security of an investigation team which that shortly be deployed by the Auditeur militaire of North Kivu. I also urge the deployment of a deeper police presence in general in high-risk zones as a visible and active protection presence. I have requested that peacekeepers continue to monitor and report, through their daily situation reports, on rapes and other exactions that may be occurring, and to share this information with relevant MONUSCO civilian sections. It is also critical that human rights monitors be deployed.”
2010-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6400 (2010) · source
“I am gravely concerned about the ongoing military operations by the Forces armees de la Republique democratique du Congo (FARDC) in the Walikale territory and the implications for the protection of civilians. Thousands of FARDC troops have now been deployed to the territory in an operation to implement the President's moratorium on mining in the area and to reassert Government control. There is already some information from MONUSCO peacekeepers on the ground that rapes, killings and looting have been perpetrated by FARDC soldiers. The possibility that the same communities that were brutalized in July and August by FDLR and Mayi-Mayi elements are now also suffering exactions at the hands of FARDC troops is unimaginable and unacceptable.”
2010-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6400 (2010) · source
“We must seize the momentum of these arrests to begin turning the tide of impunity. The arrests must serve as a warning to perpetrators of sexual violence everywhere, and we cannot underestimate the importance of such actions for the victims and their communities. They represent a glimmer of hope for them - a moment of solace that the world is not blind to their plight, and a possibility that those who brutalize them will ultimately be held to account. Rapes will continue so long as consequences are negligible. We must close future options and avenues of advancement for perpetrators. They should be excluded from any amnesty provisions. They should be ineligible for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration benefits. The avenues for future political roles and governance should be closed to those who commit acts of rape.”
2010-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6400 (2010) · source
“In this regard, the leverage that we gain from 10-58102 the credible threat of Council sanctions against perpetrators of sexual violence cannot be underestimated. It made a difference in the Mayele case. Therefore, I reiterate my call on this Council to escalate the focus on crimes of sexual violence in the work of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As a start, I urge the Committee to consider the inclusion of "Colonel" Serafim of the FDLR on its sanctions list. This may be done on the basis of the credible information from witnesses on the scene that he also commanded the mass rapes in Walikale. I remain at the disposal of the sanctions Committee to provide information on the issue of conflict-related sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2010-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6400 (2010) · source
“In this respect, the apprehension of Mayele represents an important precedent and possibility. It is a case of an armed group turning in on itself; it is a case of having a rapist and an association with rape become a liability for armed groups. When commanders can no longer rest easy in the certainty of impunity, and when it begins to cross their mind that they may be turned in by their own for commissioning or condoning rape, that is the moment when we open a new front in the battle to end impunity. To do so, we must deepen our information on armed groups, and on this basis engage them more systematically and put them under pressure. We must seek to penetrate their chains of command and disrupt them from within. It is crucial that we use all the means at our disposal.”
2010-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6400 (2010) · source
“I congratulate the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) for the apprehension of Mayele, particularly our Indian peacekeepers and our Head of Office in the East, who mounted the operation. Mayele was immediately handed over to national authorities, and it is my hope that we will now have further information on the ringleaders in Kibua-Mpofi and that more arrests will follow. I urge the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to ensure an exemplary process of justice in the Mayele case and a timely and comprehensive investigation into the mass rapes. The case of Mayele shows that it is possible to bring pressure to bear on commanders. It is even possible to compel them to turn over to justice perpetrators of sexual violence from within their own ranks.”
2010-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6400 (2010) · source
“That arrest complements the positive action taken earlier this year by German authorities to detain other FDLR leaders, namely Mr. Ignace Murwanashyaka and Straton Musoni, on war crimes charges. In addition, last week United Nations peacekeepers arrested "Lieutenant Colonel" Sadoke Kokunda Mayele, who was identified by victims as the commander of the Mayi-Mayi Cheka rebel group presumed to be among those responsible for the mass rapes in Walikale. I named Mayele specifically in my briefing to the Security Council several weeks ago, and his arrest sends a loud and clear message that impunity for crimes of sexual violence will not be tolerated.”
2010-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6400 (2010) · source
“Following the mass rapes in Walikale, I called on this Council and the international community to ensure that the perpetrators and those who bear command responsibility do not escape into the night. In this regard, there is some good news. This week, Callixte Mbarushimana, Executive Secretary of the Forces Democratiques pour la liberation du Rwanda (FDLR) - one of the rebel groups implicated in the atrocities - was arrested in Paris under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant. I wish to take this opportunity to commend the French authorities who effected this arrest, and the Prosecutor of the ICC, Mr. Luis 10-58102 Moreno-Ocampo, for actively pursuing the mass sexual crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2010-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6400 (2010) · source
“The answer is because there is no security to go about everyday subsistence activities; because women, who are the mainstay of local economies, can no longer access markets; because families are dispersed. Armed elements assert control and dominance over the area. The rapes of elderly women left the communities reeling with shock. They served to shatter the social taboos and the shared heritage that hold people together. The women themselves insisted on one thing above all - they want peace. But we cannot wait for peace to bring peace to the lives of women. We must insist that where sexual violence is planned and orchestrated as a tactic of war, it be viewed as preventable.”
2010-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6400 (2010) · source
“It was an expression of how human rights violations against women are still the lowest on a false hierarchy of wartime horrors. We travelled the dirt road to Kampala and Nyasi villages; there was impenetrable jungle on both sides, with narrow paths leading into the forest. We could imagine the dark night being split by gunshots and hordes of soldiers moving from one hut to another to loot and rape and threaten. A string of small villages along the road were still deserted - testament to the lasting terror of this attack. Families prefer to sleep in the forest since they do not feel safe in their own homes. "Why is this a security issue?", some may still ask.”
2010-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6400 (2010) · source
“Ms. Wallstriim: As members of the Security Council know, my role as Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict is a global one. Like the scourge of sexual violence itself, it traverses all of geography and history. Conflict-related sexual violence is not specific to any culture or continent, yet it still surprises people when I say that it 2 is neither cultural nor even sexual, but criminal - a crime of international concern. I thank you, Sir, and the Security Council for once again having invited me to brief you on my visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to bring the voices of Congolese women to this Council, as I promised them to do. "A dead rat is worth more than the body of a woman" were the words of one distraught young woman in Walikale.”
2010-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6400 (2010) · source
“As we strive to help these survivors, we must do our utmost to ensure there are no more victims. These unconscionable acts must spur every one of us as protection duty-bearers to immediate and concerted action. This is our collective responsibility to the survivors and our collective signal to the perpetrators, who are watching and waiting to see how the world will react. Our policies of zero tolerance cannot be backed by a reality of zero consequences. I intend to return to the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the end of September to engage with all stakeholders and, above all, to listen to the survivors.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“We need to support and strengthen this coordination platform, reaching out particularly to NGOs that provide frontline services. Their critical role has once again been exemplified by the work of such organizations as the International Medical Corps and Heal Africa in response to the mass rapes in Kibua. MONUSCO's sexual violence unit is charged with coordinating the implementation of the Strategy. We must ensure that it has adequate capacity to effectively perform this function. My role is to help mobilize resources for the full implementation of the Strategy, as well as to ensure strategic support from the United Nations Action Network that I chair. Finally, we cannot turn back time for the victims of Kibua or for the countless other survivors of brutal acts of organized sexual violence.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“I therefore urge Member States that have FDLR leaders residing in their countries to take legal action against them in line with resolution 1925 (2010). On the ground in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations, together with the Government, last year launched a comprehensive strategy on combating sexual violence in the country. The strategy has five pillars: combating impunity, prevention and protection, security sector reform, multisectoral assistance for survivors, and data collection and mapping. It is being supported and financed by donors through the Government's Stabilization and Reconstruction Plan for the eastern part of the country, and has created a platform for a coordinated, comprehensive response by all actors.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“Resolutions 1857 (2008) and 1896 (2009), which specify the mandate of the sanctions Committee, establish a legal basis for the imposition of sanctions on individuals operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo who commit sexual violence. I urge the Council to follow up on this provision by mandating the Democratic Republic of the Congo Sanctions Committee to gather all necessary information from the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and the Committee's Group of Experts, as well as from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other humanitarian actors who may have relevant information. My Office stands ready to facilitate such a process. The FDLR has time and again been responsible for grave human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“This approach has yielded tangible results. In line with resolution 1820 (2008), I intend to pursue such engagement with State and non-State actors alike to ensure that perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence are held accountable and prevention measures put in place. In that regard, the Security Council has unique means at its disposal. This includes the black- listing of individuals and entities and the imposition of sanctions and other targeted measures, which add leverage in our dialogue. I therefore urge the Council to take such action, beginning with the commanders of the armed groups responsible for the atrocities committed in Kibua. Furthermore, I believe that the Security Council is primed to take such action through its sanctions Committee for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“Cheka himself, as well as the political and military leadership of the FDLR, may ultimately bear command responsibility for crimes by their subordinates that they failed to prevent or punish. These names are a starting point and constitute leads and leverage by which we may also identify some of the other participants in and architects of the mass rapes in Kibua. I believe that we have a narrow window of opportunity before the trail goes cold and the attention of the international community and media turns to other crises, dissipating the pressure on these groups. My role is to ensure sustained international attention through public advocacy and direct political dialogue. The Council has encouraged systematic United Nations engagement with armed groups that commit grave violations against children affected by conflict.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“I have also been concerned that the intense focus on the response of the United Nations has deflected attention from the most critical element of all - pursuing and bringing to justice the perpetrators. As the spotlight falls on the United Nations and what we could have done differently, the perpetrators - those who committed or commissioned rape and pillage - seem to have escaped from the scene of the crime and slipped into the shadows. This challenges our collective credibility and undermines efforts to deter such atrocities in future. As the Council has heard, we already have some names, such as Colonel Mayele, the Mai Mai Cheka Chief of Staff, and Colonel Serafim of the Forces democratiques de liberation du Rwanda (FDLR), who was present on the scene.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“It is clear that deploying a well-trained, vetted and permanent Forces armees de la Republique democratique du Congo and National Police presence that prioritizes the protection of civilians is critical in high-risk zones. I also urge the Government to reinforce its efforts to address impunity and strengthen the rule of law, particularly in the context of sexual violence. For our part, I reiterate the offer to deploy a team of experts on the rule of law, as called for by resolution 1888 (2009), to support the Government in that regard. My Office is in the process of constituting that team and I hope that we may soon agree on the timing and modalities for its deployment.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“Turning to another point, the mass rapes in Kibua indicate a connection, as we have already heard, between the illicit exploitation of natural mineral resources, the continuing operations of illegal armed groups and the high levels of violence against civilians in general, and women in particular, in lucrative and strategic areas. We must examine this nexus more closely as one of the root causes of recent atrocities, and more broadly of the protracted conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I will continue my calls for Governments to enact due diligence measures to track the flow of conflict minerals. I should also like to stress that the role of the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is to support and not to supplant the Government as the primary protection and service provider.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“It contains a range of promising practices employed by peacekeepers to protect women and girls from conflict- related sexual violence. These ad hoc efforts need to be systematized and included in predeployment training as model scenarios that can help peacekeepers recognize and react to sexual violence by armed groups. This document provides, for the first time, a knowledge base to help peacekeepers translate their obligations to preventing sexual violence into actions. It gives examples of early warning systems, patrols tailored to women's mobility patterns, community liaison techniques and other tactics that illustrate a gradual shift from best intentions to best practice.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“We should examine the United Nations response, including that of our peacekeepers on the ground, not in a spirit of self-recrimination but with a determination and resolve to do better to protect civilians in what is undoubtedly one of the most complex, vast and volatile conflict zones in the world. We must also bear in mind that if we expect our peacekeepers to perform more effectively, we have to ensure that they receive the training, knowledge and tools to do so. In that regard, I intend to work closely with the United Nations Development Fund for Women, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and troop-contributing countries to roll out a new tool that my Office helped to launch in June this year, entitled "Addressing conflict-related sexual violence - An analytical inventory of peacekeeping practice".”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“Through resolution 1888 (2009), the Council has emphasized better monitoring and reporting on sexual violence as a basis for a more effective protection response. Drawing on lessons from the mechanism established to track grave violations against children affected by armed conflict, I will prioritize the establishment of systems for obtaining real-time and actionable information. It is, of course priority number one to make sure that all the information, reporting and monitoring work well. However, as we focus on improving the flow of information and data, we must confront squarely the fact that we were too slow to respond to existing information.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“Systematic responses to sexual violence have been elusive because, until recently, it was dismissed as an unavoidable consequence of war. At this moment, we are all compelled to look in the mirror and face our collective responsibility for our inability to prevent the mass rapes in Kibua. The United Nations, for its part, cannot afford to shy away from confronting its shortcomings because such an examination, carried out in a spirit of transparency and accountability, must form the basis for improving our response in the future. Therefore, I welcome and support the concrete recommendations made by Mr. Khare in areas where we can and must improve. That includes our communication with local communities - particularly women - and our capacity to collect and analyse early warning information to trigger timely action.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“We must be more keenly attuned to other indicators, including the movements of armed groups, their proximity to civilian centres, patterns of looting and pillage, their actions to block off access to certain areas, and the concerns of local women about the security situation. These should all now be considered to be signals that the population is at risk from exactions, attacks and, increasingly, sexual violence. In Walikale, our information suggests that the rapes were part of a planned and organized attack. Women were rounded up and prevented from fleeing, indicating that sexual violence was explicitly used as a tactic of war and terror. I have previously stressed and continue to maintain that, where sexual violence is planned, it must also be viewed as preventable.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“It is evident that rape is increasingly selected as the weapon of choice in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with numbers reaching endemic proportions. The sad reality is that incidents of rape have become so commonplace that they do not trigger our most urgent interventions. We know that information on the rapes that occurred along the Kibua-Mpofi axis was slow to surface. Therefore, one of the critical lessons we must take from this tragedy is that the actual reporting of rape cases should not be viewed as a prerequisite for robust protection responses.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“Many of the rape victims have still not come forward to receive urgent medical treatment for fear that they are still unsafe or due to the risk of being ostracized by their communities because of the taint of rape, as we have already heard Mr. Khare recall. Indeed, rape is the only violation for which communities tend to stigmatize the victim rather than prosecute the perpetrator, and where victims feel shame. What is particularly disturbing is that the attacks on Kibua were not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of widespread and systematic rape and pillage. I am deeply distressed by information that is now beginning to surface about the large numbers of rapes in other parts of North Kivu, as well as in South Kivu, as outlined in stark detail by Mr. Khare.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“The only way to combat such a perception is through determined and visible actions by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to address impunity and strengthen the rule of law. With regard to what must happen now, humanitarian actors are now struggling to provide essential health services to survivors. A recent inter- agency mission to Walikale confirmed that, of the 242 survivors who reached Lubongo Health Centre, most had received some medical treatment and psychosocial support. However, none had received post-exposure prophylaxis to protect her from HIV, primarily because they were unable to access care within 72 hours of the incident.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“Women live in fear of men carrying guns, often clad in uniform. They cannot distinguish protector from tormentor. 7 If this is not an illustration of why sexual violence is an impediment to peace, stability and security, what is? Right now, as we meet here in this Chamber, thousands of women, children and families are trying to cope with the trauma of rape. A ripple of devastation emanates from each crime, bringing with it disease, depression and despair. There are Congolese women whose tragic experiences have led them to conclude that being gang-raped by many men is normal for a woman. When I was in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in April, I stressed that the reputation of the country is being held hostage to the perception that it is the rape capital of the world.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“Many women were gang-raped by up to five or six men at a time. The women of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo deserve better. They are the backbone of the country and the mainstay of its largely agricultural economy. Yet in 2010, the sad reality for many women in the eastern DRC is that they are tired. They are tired of wondering when their time will come to be robbed, tortured and raped. For them, there is no safe place. They are raped when harvesting crops, when going to market, when fetching water and firewood, when carrying their babies, and when in their homes at night among their loved ones. Rape does not end when the violence is over. Many survivors are permanently traumatized, unable to return to the fields to earn an income, resulting in increased poverty, isolation and despair.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“Ms. Wallstriim: I thank you, Sir, and members of the Security Council for this opportunity to brief the Council on this matter of grave concern to the international community and also to say something about the role of my Office. A senior member of my staff, Mr. Tonderai Chikuhwa, accompanied Mr. Khare on his mission to the affected villages in Walikale territory. But I wish to begin, in complementing Mr. Khare's account, with the survivors. In Luvingi village, one of the women spoke of how they had been forced to live through something like never before. She recounted how armed men went from house to house breaking down the doors, and how people were prevented from escaping because the village had been surrounded. She described how armed men inserted their hands into women's genitals searching for gold.”
2010-09-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6378 (2010) · source
“Our aim must be to uphold international law so that women, even in the war-torn corners of our world, can sleep under the cover of justice.”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source
“The well-framed mandates of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have made a real difference, and I applaud the efforts made during the Council's most recent mission to the Congo in May 2009 to ensure that the five army officers blacklisted for sexual violence were brought to justice. States bear the primary responsibility for protecting their citizens from violence. I see my role as helping to build the capacity of Governments to meet their obligations. Women have no rights if those who violate their rights go unpunished. I am haunted by what I heard in the Democratic Republic of the Congo- that women are still not safe, under their own roofs and in their own beds, when night falls.”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source
“In the words of a former combatant pleading guilty to charges of repeated rape before the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, "our wrongs were so terrible that we clung to them and tried to justify them. I tried to be proud of my actions and to think they were the actions ofa successful soldier". I recommend pioneering a peer education model on sexual violence prevention. Going on the offensive against sexual violence will require the Council's continuous consideration. Bold language in thematic resolutions must not be lost in translation when it comes to country-level action.”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source
“My Office will prepare an early warning matrix of risk factors to sound the alarm from the ground up. I look forward to working with a military liaison officer who can interface with force commanders, ministries of defence and armed groups to identify patterns of violence. Our current knowledge comes mainly from the survivors. For too long, it has been considered unpalatable to inquire into the motivations of perpetrators and non-State actors, as if doing so would legitimize their conduct. Understanding perpetrators is the missing piece of the puzzle. There has been much focus on command responsibility. That is warranted, but we should not ignore the importance of peer liability. Peer pressure is a powerful influence in armed groups, and in the inverted moral universe of war, violence becomes a virtue and rape a rite of passage.”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source
“I will work through the inter-agency network, United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict, which has provided strategic support in five integrated mission settings: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, the Sudan - in Darfur - Chad and C6te d'Ivoire, helping agencies rise above institutional mandates to deliver as one. It is encouraging that the Security Council has amplified the call for comprehensive strategies to combat sexual violence in its mandate renewals for Cote d'Ivoire and the Sudan. The final theme responds to the most urgent gap - that is, prevention. The terms of the debate have shifted from reacting to sexual violence as to any other tragedy, to preventing sexual violence as if it were any other threat. This means both helping the victims and helping to ensure that there are no more victims.”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source
“I intend to rally States and United Nations and regional bodies to own this agenda and to feel accountable for its success. I will also mobilize non-traditional stakeholders, as sexual violence is not just a women's issue. The fourth point is to increase recognition of rape as a tactic and consequence of conflict. Those who 10-33085 tolerate sexual terror should be on notice that they do so in defiance of the Security Council, with its power to enact enforcement measures. Resolution 1807 (2008), which imposes a travel ban and freezes assets of individuals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo who commit serious violations of international law, including sexual violence, is a powerful example of effective Council action. The fifth point, coordination, is critical to avoid gaps and overlaps in United Nations activities.”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source
“This is a critical part of the broader mandate of the Security Council to shepherd situations from might to right, from rule of war to rule of law and from bullets to ballots. If women continue to suffer sexual violence, it is not because the law is inadequate to protect them, but because it is inadequately enforced. I will work with Governments to explore options for drawing upon the technical expertise of a team of experts on the rule of law, as mandated by the Council's resolution 1888 (2009). Secondly, we are not just protecting women from violence, but empowering them to become agents of change. A ceasefire is not synonymous with peace for women, if the shooting ceases but rapes continue unchecked. The third point is to mobilize political leadership. Resolutions are not ends in themselves, but tools in the hands of political leaders.”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source
“I am also pleased to report progress in the practice of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the ground. One example is its market-route patrols. At first, very few women followed the patrols, but over time, more and more began to take advantage of these escorts. The improved sense of safety has led to improved trade, which has contributed to economic development. My findings from the Democratic Republic of the Congo coupled with the aforementioned gaps analysis reaffirm the five-point priority agenda that I have outlined for my mandate, namely: ending impunity; empowering women; mobilizing political leadership; increasing recognition of rape as a tactic and consequence of conflict; and ensuring a more coherent response from the United Nations system. First, the reign of impunity must end.”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source
“But discipline must be backed with concrete measures to replace makeshift tents with barracks, improvised attire with uniforms and an implicit license to live off rural populations with a reliable payment chain. Similarly, the Police Nationale Congolaise lacks practical means to respond to sexual violence. In a context where rape is described as an epidemic, the Women and Child Protection Unit in Goma shares one motorbike to use to apprehend suspects. Violent criminals ride on the back of the bike as they are taken to the small shed that serves as a holding station. Nonetheless, I was inspired by the dedication of members of the police, judicial and hospital staff, non-governmental organizations and local authorities.”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source
“I heard evidence that four out of five women seeking care from health centres claim to have been raped by men in uniform. The core of this problem is impunity, which is the rule, rather than the exception. Rape victims receive no justice and no reparations. In South Kivu province, there are just 54 magistrates, only two of them women. The Congolese people deserve a credible army that can defend and protect them. The uniform should symbolize a service that women can run to, not run from. It should not represent a patchwork of militias, stitched together without a screening process. The headquarters of the Forces armees de la Republique democratique du Congo bears a sign that reads: "La discipline est la mere des arme'es".”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source
“It also has a comprehensive strategy on combating sexual violence, owned jointly by the Government and the United Nations system. The laws must be implemented and the strategy operationalized. Political leadership is needed right across the spectrum, from the President, the National Assembly and provincial governors to religious and community leaders. Sexual violence remains a dominant, even escalating, feature of the conflict. The refrain I heard from women across the Kivus was, "If only it were not for the war". Recent reports suggest that 60 per cent of victims surveyed in the Kivus had been gang-raped by armed men. More than half of these assaults took place within the supposed safety of the family home, at night, often in the presence of the victim's husband and children.”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source
“In June I will launch, together with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the United Nations Development Fund for Women, an analytical inventory of peacekeeping practice to address conflict-related sexual violence. That document will capture promising practice and elements of an effective response. To see these protection challenges first-hand, I recently visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a vast and remarkable nation, where I met resilient and dynamic women. Yet this story is eclipsed by the horror story that Congo remains the rape capital of the world. This mars its image and potential for economic growth. While the Congo's mothers, daughters and sisters walk in shame, their rapists walk free. Victims are doubly victimized by this injustice. Yet Congo has a robust legal framework and a declaration on zero tolerance.”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source
“The Secretary-General's second report on resolution 1820 (2008), to be compiled by my office and presented at the end of the year, will propose listing criteria aligned with those developed by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. We cannot arbitrarily cut off concern for rape victims at age 18. My vision includes tracking the security dimensions of sexual violence by making use of women's protection advisers as a counterpart in the field. Another gap is in the routine inclusion of sexual violence - against boys and men as well as against women and girls - as part of the protection of civilians. Ad hoc methods have been employed, such as the "firewood patrols" in Darfur, but we need to systematize such efforts.”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source
“While we cannot expect accurate bookkeeping on the battlefield, inadequate information-sharing and coordination has meant that sexual violence data remain fragmented and anecdotal. Nonetheless, I would argue that from the way sexual violence spans history, the burden of proof in wartime should be on those who suggest that rape is not rampant. When law and order collapses, dealing with rape should be automatically included in contingency plans. A related gap is accountability: the need to put names to war's most complex horrors. History does not repeat itself; people repeat history. I therefore welcome the expansion of the list of shame of groups that recruit child soldiers to include groups credibly suspected of patterns of sexual violence.”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source
“Research reveals variations in the use of war rape and situations in which it is rare, so we know it is not a necessary corollary of conflict. The United Nations has traditionally analysed sexual violence through a gender, reproductive-health and development lens, which means that security factors and actors are often overlooked. But wartime sexual violence is a crime that can be commanded, condoned or condemned. I am convinced that once we better understand these dynamics, prevention will be within our power. However, a range of factors inhibit survivors from coming forward to report: lack of services, shame, low rights-awareness and high security risk. To inform interventions, we need data that captures trends, early warning indicators and patterns of attack.”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source
“The United Nations system is generating proposals for effective monitoring and reporting to identify and plug gaps, measured against performance benchmarks. I would like to say a few words about these critical gaps, to which my vision is intended to respond. First, the knowledge base on which we act has been impaired by analytical gaps. Perhaps the most insidious is the notion that rape is an inevitable by- product of war. Sexual violence and its extreme consequences are not intrinsic to conflict and displacement. Rather, there is a sense that rape leaves perpetrators without blood on their hands and that it can be put down to biological need or the fog of war. So we must be clear - mass rape is no more natural, inevitable or acceptable than mass murder.”
2010-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6302 (2010) · source