For three days in June 2006, more than 250 dedicated women and men from some 30 countries came together at a historic symposium at Palais d'Egmont in Brussels to share experiences, strategies and a renewed commitment to end the scourge of sexual violence in countries torn apart by war.

UNHCR photo

Conflict-related sexual violence is as old as war itself. In many conflicts, the bodies of women and girls become battlegrounds, with rape used as a weapon of war to humiliate, dominate or disrupt social ties in communities under attack. Women and girls, and sometimes men and boys, are also vulnerable to sexual assault and exploitation during flight, in refugee settlements and even in post-conflict situations, where continued sexual violence can perpetuate a cycle of anxiety and fear that may impede recovery and reconstruction. Until recently, its devastating effects on the health and well-being of survivors, communities and nations received little attention. But this is finally changing. The intensified media coverage of sexual atrocities committed in conflict zones-ranging from the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda to Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)-coupled with the cumulative impact of decades of research and advocacy by activists, have helped to galvanize a growing movement.

The International Symposium on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond-convened from 21 to 23 June 2006 by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the European Commission and the Government of Belgium-
brought together some of the pioneers of that movement as well as new allies. Delegations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Colombia, DRC, Haiti, Indonesia, Liberia, Palestine, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Uganda were joined by experts from UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), journalists, field-based humanitarian workers, military and police officers, and human rights activists, as well as ministers, parliamentarians and government officials from conflict and donor countries alike. The diverse gathering reflected what UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called "a growing international consensus that sexual violence is a human rights violation, a global public health problem and an impediment to recovery, development and peace".

The Symposium examined the social, cultural and development costs of sexual violence, the importance of prevention and the benefits of compassionate and comprehensive care. Representatives from conflict-affected nations presented national action plans for combating sexual violence and sought input and intensified support from international donors and agencies. They also testified about the devastating impact of rape on individuals. Experts from Sudan, Colombia, Sri Lanka and other conflict zones spoke of severe physical consequences, including painful injuries, unwanted pregnancies and HIV/AIDS, and about the damage to mental health, such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and extreme depression. They shared heartbreaking tales of suicide and the abandonment of children born as a result of rape, and spoke of the trauma suffered by the families and communities of survivors.

Other delegates highlighted the effects of sexual violence on communities. In West Africa, where tens of thousands of women and girls suffered rape, sexual abuse and exploitation during more than a decade of interlinked civil conflicts and massive displacement in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea, entire societies continue to suffer. Although the conflicts have officially ended, the lingering effects and stigma of sexual violence have impeded the reintegration of survivors with their families and communities. Thousands of war-affected women still live on the streets, where they are exposed daily to further violence, unwanted pregnancy and HIV infection. They need counselling, skills training and income-generating opportunities to rebuild their lives; their communities and nations need international assistance to build the legal, medical and social infrastructure necessary to support them.

The Symposium also examined the broader threats to peace and security in countries struggling to emerge from war. A residual culture of violence and a weak legal and social infrastructure in some countries perpetuate an environment in which rape of women and girls is rampant and indiscriminate, terrorizing entire communities and impeding fragile peace and recovery processes. Government officials, experts and UN partners from the DRC shared lessons and experience from an innovative and comprehensive national programme that helps to prevent and treat cases of sexual violence through integrated actions and policies across the health, social, legal and security sectors. This multi-sectoral model has already had a measurable impact in the DRC and is being studied for possible replication in other countries.

On the final day of the Symposium, delegates issued the Brussels Call to Action (see box below), outlining 21 actions to be taken-from ending impunity for perpetrators to developing and funding national action plans-and calling on Governments, international organizations and civil society to prioritize the issue of sexual violence in all humanitarian, peacebuilding and development efforts in countries affected by conflict. Just as effective prevention and response require actions across all sectors, success depends on the sustained and coordinated efforts of people at all levels of society and on the global community at large. Donor governments must support programming and capacity-building to enable war-affected countries to prevent and respond to sexual violence. They must deliver on the commitments they have already made in agreements, including the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, and Security Council resolution 1325 (2000).

The UN system and international and national NGOs must step up related programming and incorporate prevention, protection and care for survivors into all aspects of humanitarian assistance. We must continue to develop and promote the use of tools, such as the new Inter-Agency Standing Committee guidelines on sexual violence prevention and response by humanitarian workers, and ensure the implementation of the Minimum Initial Services Package for reproductive health in emergencies, including post-rape treatment, counselling, emergency contraception, treatment of sexually transmitted infections and post-exposure drugs to prevent HIV infection. We must also do more to enforce the UN code of conduct against sexual exploitation and abuse to ensure that humanitarian workers and peacekeepers are part of the solution and not part of the problem.

Finally, we cannot expect to end the violence that women and girls suffer during conflict if we fail to address their unequal status at all times. This violence does not arise only out of the conditions of war; it is also directly related to the inequality and injustice women suffer during peacetime. We must all do what we can, but achieving justice and equality for women everywhere can only be accomplished with the full involvement of men at the national and community levels. The wealth of information and experience shared during the Symposium shows that we know what works and what needs to be done. But, until now, we have lacked the necessary resources and the political and funding commitments to mount a response that is commensurate with the problem. We have too often been working tightly, in parallel but unconnected initiatives that make a small difference individually, but fail to achieve the synergies needed for an effective, systematic and coherent global response.

The actions outlined on the next page call for immediate and sustained involvement by all actors at all levels. If we all tap into the resources, networks and communication channels at our disposal and raise our voices together, we can make a tremendous difference in the individual lives of millions of women, men and children around the world, as well as a significant contribution to the peace, security and development of entire nations.

(To learn more about the International Symposium, please visit www.unfpa.org/emergencies/symposium06.)