Rape and other forms of sexual violence are used as weapons in conflicts the world over. The perpetrators of these appalling, life-shattering crimes still tend to go unpunished. Meanwhile hundreds of thousands of victims struggle to re-build their lives.
The British Government is committed to tackling sexual violence in armed conflict. This is why British Foreign Secretary, William Hague launched the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) in May 2012.
We want to find practical ways to ensure that victims feel confident to speak out. They have a right to justice and support. But instead they are often the subjects of stigma. We must shift the stigma from the victims to the perpetrators, end the culture of impunity and ensure more people are successfully prosecuted for these crimes.
So we are using Britain’s influence and global diplomatic network to foster sustained international action and to increase the legal and practical capability of other countries to tackle these crimes themselves.
- In April this year G8 Foreign Ministers agreed a historic Declaration promising to end Sexual Violence in conflict
- In June the UN Security Council adopted a Resolution containing action to increase the UN response to sexual violence in conflict
- And in September William Hague chaired a meeting at the UN General Assembly at which over 130 countries – 2/3 of all UN member states – endorsed a new Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict.
- Looking to the future, in June 2014, the UK will host a conference in London bringing together these 134 governments, along with representatives from civil society, judiciaries and militaries from around the world. We will be consulting in advance for views on where we should focus our efforts.
To underpin these efforts we have set up a team of experts devoted to combating and preventing sexual violence in armed conflict. It draws on the skills of doctors, lawyers, police, psychologists, forensic specialists and experts in the care and protection of victims and witnesses. This team will be able to be deployed overseas at short notice to gather evidence and testimony that can be used to support investigations and prosecutions; to help with the care of victims and witnesses; and to train local authorities. We have now recruited 73 experts.
In Spain we have invited representatives of governments, NGOs and civil society to join us here in the Embassy on 25 November for a discussion of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative. We want to work together with them to raise awareness of PSVI ahead of the June 2014 Conference.
If you want to know more about this issue please reply to this blog, or e-mail enquiries.madrid@fco.gov.uk