22nd December 2016
Abuja, Nigeria
On 23 November, the British High Commission and International Alert convened a workshop in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, where 2.2 million people are displaced. In North East Nigeria, stigma attaches to survivors of sexual violence. Stigma attaches to women who bear a child outside marriage. Stigma attaches to anyone associated with Boko Haram. Many […]
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9th October 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
On 13 October there will be a High Level Review at the United Nations to commemorate 15 years since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. This was a ground breaking resolution that recognised not only the inordinate impact of war on women and girls, but also the pivotal role women should and do […]
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19th June 2015
London, UK
Florence Ayot was kidnapped by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda when she was nine years old. “I was given to a Major and forced to be his slave. If I didn’t do what they ordered, they beat me,” says Florence in the documentary The War Against Women. “The most painful thing was that the girls […]
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10th December 2014
London, England
For Human Rights Day Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, James Duddridge, blogs on Preventing Sexual Violence and Protecting Civil Society. I am proud to say that the UK, and the Foreign Office specifically, has taken such a strong lead in the battle to end sexual violence in conflict. In September, […]
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19th June 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I have commented in recent weeks on the 10-13 June London Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. This week, I give the floor to Pádraic MacOireachtaigh, Jesuit Refugee Service Regional Advocacy and Communications Officer in the Great Lakes based in Burundi, who participated in the Summit, and who contributes his own supportive but critical […]
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11th June 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
As the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict unfolds, I am delighted to give voice in my blog to a story from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Last week at Vatican Radio, a panel discussion showed that religious networks have a huge role to play to end the use of rape as a […]
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8th June 2014
Brasilia, Brazil
Rape and sexual violence has been a part of war as far back as we know. It occurs both as a consequence of conflict but is also used as a weapon in itself. It is civilians (all sexes and ages) who suffer the most . We do not think this is inevitable. It’s time to […]
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3rd June 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and I co-hosted a Dialogue on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict at Parliament House yesterday. It was well timed, just a week before the London summit from 10-13 June. Julie is one of 14 global champions for the PSVI initiative, including presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers from a diverse range […]
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7th March 2014
Beirut, Lebanon
In the 21st century we get angry about many small things: traffic jams, power cuts or a failed internet connection. We get plenty of opportunities for all three in Lebanon. But last Friday I joined an event about an issue worth getting really furious about. The Beirut Bar Association launched a Human Rights Institute booklet […]
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3rd September 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
One of the highlights of the United Nations General Assembly in September will be an event hosted by Foreign Secretary William Hague and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to launch a high level political and ambitious declaration on the need to keep up the international momentum on tackling sexual violence in conflict. This event follows […]
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