sexual violence

Security Council steps up fight against sexual violence in conflict

16 December 2010
The United Nations stepped up its battle against sexual violence in conflicts around the world today with the Security Council calling for perpetrators to be publicly listed and punished with sanctions.

Secretary-General calls for additional steps to fight sexual violence in conflict

8 December 2010
Faced with rampant sexual violence in conflicts around the world, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling for additional steps to enhance protection, including increased pressure on perpetrators through sanctions and other targeted measures.

NEWSMAKER: UN advocate calls sexual violence ‘cheap and silent’ weapon of war

11 November 2010
While the nature of war has changed over the years, the fact remains that civilians bear the brunt of today’s conflicts, with women and children paying a particularly heavy toll, says the United Nations envoy on sexual violence in conflict, who stresses that rape has become a tool to spread terror and exert control on communities.

DR Congo: UN rights panel calls for support for sexual violence victims

13 October 2010
Victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), especially in remote areas of the vast country, need greater support, a high-level panel convened by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to hear directly from the survivors said today.

UN rights panel to hear from victims of sexual violence in DR Congo

29 September 2010
Victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will have the opportunity to speak out before a high-level panel convened by the United Nations human rights chief beginning on Thursday in the country’s eastern province of South Kivu.

UN releases practical toolkit on how to deter sexual violence in war

30 June 2010
From peacekeepers in Darfur escorting women and girls to prevent “firewood rapes” to blue helmets in Kosovo setting up an emergency hotline for at-risk communities and lone women, the United Nations launched today its first compilation of the best practices of its staff to prevent, deter and respond to the use of rape as a war tactic.

Tackling sexual violence must include prevention, ending impunity – UN official

27 April 2010
Fresh from her visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which she described as the “rape capital of the world,” a senior United Nations official today urged the Security Council to make the prevention of sexual violence a top priority, and stressed the need to end impunity for the scourge.

Curbing sexual violence in conflict is ‘mission irresistible’ for new UN envoy

9 February 2010
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s newly appointed Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict promised today a more coherent and effective battle against the scourge, citing recent mass rapes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and calling her new task “mission irresistible.”

Peacebuilding office teams up with UN entities to combat sexual violence in conflict

3 February 2010
The United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office has joined forces with a network of over a dozen other UN entities to prevent sexual violence in armed conflict and respond effectively to the needs of survivors.