STATEMENT BY THE SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL ON SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT Zainab Hawa Bangura SECURITY COUNCIL OPEN DEBATE ON SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT (17 April 2013) Madam President, Mr. Secretary–General, Distinguished Members of the Security Council, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to thank the Government of Rwanda for convening this debate [...]
As Kenya goes to the polls, national and international observers and human rights actors have warned of the risk of election violence, including the deliberate targeting of civilians due to political or ethnic affiliations. After the 2007 to 2008 elections, thousands of cases of rape and other forms of sexual assault were documented.
I am alarmed by the increasing incidents of rape and violent attacks targeting civilians in the Kivu Provinces of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in the context of the ongoing conflict in the area. UN sources report that uniformed gunmen carried out attacks and rapes in Goma town as well as in the Mugunga Camp, [...]
As part of my mandate as United Nations (UN) Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, I have just concluded a four day visit to the Republic of Colombia on an official invitation from the Government. This was my first visit to Colombia. I came to listen, to gain a deeper understanding of how sexual violence during the long conflict in this country continues to affect society, and to reiterate the support of the United Nations.
I condemn in the strongest possible terms the mass rape of over 150 civilians, mainly women and girls, in the area of Minembwe, South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). These atrocities occurred during a two-day attack, from 10 to 12 June.
I welcome this week’s news that Ratko Mladić and Bernard Munyagishari have been apprehended. Ratko Mladić is General Colonel and former Commander of the Main Staff of the army of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is charged with 15 counts that include the murder of close to 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica. In the indictment, sexual abuse or sexual violence is mentioned five times (under individual criminal responsibility, complicity in genocide – twice, and crime against humanity – twice). Bernard Munyagishari is former head of the Interahamwe Hutu militia for the city of Gisenyi in western Rwanda. He is charged with five counts that include genocide, and rape as a crime against humanity.
I am deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following intense fighting between government forces, dissident groups and militia. The situation is again causing immense suffering for civilians who are experiencing displacement, human rights violations, and loss of property.
Today represents a milestone in the history of international criminal justice. In the wake of most wars, mass rape has been met with mass impunity. Wartime sexual violence used to be one of history’s greatest silences and the world’s least condemned war crime. The trial of Charles Taylor, former President of Liberia, represents a firm commitment by the international community that impunity is not an option for this type of crime. The successful prosecution of a former President signals that no leader – however powerful – is above the law; and that no woman or girl is below it.
Mr. President, Distinguished Members of the Security Council, On the morning of the 30th of September 2009, two dramatically different events took place. One, that you are all familiar with, was the adoption of Resolution 1888: creating the mandate of UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict. The other was a demonstration, just outside the UN complex, condemning mass rape by security forces in the small West African nation of Guinea. As this Council reached consensus on new measures to combat sexual violence, beyond its Chamber protestors decried yet more premeditated mass rape. As world public opinion applauded the commitments of this body, international headlines told of soldiers raping in broad daylight. Some Council members noted the connection between Resolution 1888 and the use of rape to suppress a peaceful rally in Guinea-Conakry. They noted that when rape is part of the repertoire of conflict or political coercion, it is a form of collective violence that can threaten collective peace and security.
Following allegations of sexual violence along the border of Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), I undertook a visit to the area on 6 February. My findings strongly suggest that sexual violence is systematically being carried out against Congolese women and girls in the context of expulsions from Angola to the DRC. Many of the survivors who I spoke with confirmed that these violations occur in detention facilities in Angola as well as on the Congolese side of the border.
