I would like to thank PRIO for this invitation and to commend them for this initiative.
Yesterday, we were all moved by the award ceremony. As we recover from our emotions, it is good to celebrate the Nobel Peace Prize with all of you the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Denis Mukewge and Nadia Murad, both close partners of my Office.
All of us working on issues of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) feel galvanized and inspired by their award.
This award goes way beyond the spotlight. It has effectively brought on the scourge of sexual violence in conflict which is often referred to as history鈥檚 most silenced and least condemned crime.
This award also goes way beyond a personal recognition of the work of these two champions in their respective fields.
The award to Nadia is also an award to the millions of victims of sexual violence around the world whose bodies have, for too long, become battlefields.
Significance of award聽
By honouring the work of these two champions, a physician turned advocate and a survivor of sexual slavery turned into a global advocate for survivors of sexual violence crimes, the loud message is that rape is preventable not inevitable.
Reporting
The impact of the award in addressing the chronic under-reporting of this crime cannot be underestimated.
It is important to understand that shame and stigma are built-in to the logic of sexual violence employed as a tactic of war and terrorism.
Victim-blame, leading to social exclusion, is precisely what gives the weapon of rape its uniquely destructive power.
Aggressors understand that this crime can turn victims into outcasts, so it will rarely be reported. And obviously, in turn, chronic under-reporting sets in motion a vicious cycle of pervasive impunity. This makes it all the more remarkable and inspiring when survivors like Nadia choose to stand up and speak out.
From her dusty village of Kojo in Northern Iraq, Nadia has today become the international face of Yezidi suffering and resilience. The same courage and determination that helped Nadia to escape from ISIL have driven her to recount to the world the atrocities committed by ISIL.
Through this award, I see a very powerful message to all survivors of sexual violence: women and girls, but also men and boys, should speak up.
Stigma prevention
Since I took office, I am placing a lot of emphasis on stigma prevention as an emergency because lives are at stake.
Many victims who survive sexual violence do not survive its social repercussions. Rape is still the only crime for which a society is more likely to stigmatize the victim, than to punish the perpetrator.
It is the only crime that casts a long shadow of social disgrace upon the victim.
This award provides an important platform for tackling stigma.聽 This award can help reverse and re-direct this stigma, through its loud and clear signal that the only shame of rape is in committing, commanding or condoning it.
Accountability
More importantly Nadia is demanding that ISIL perpetrators of these horrific crimes are held accountable for their crimes.
It is indeed very disturbing that up to now not a single ISIL perpetrator has been prosecuted for the crimes of sexual violence. When I raised the matter with the High Judicial Council in Baghdad in March, I was told that it is much easier to prosecute for charges of terrorism and to simply prove affiliation to a terrorist organization.
Can you for a second imagine what this means? We could end up with no historical record of the atrocities ISIL committed on the bodies of the Yezidis women and girls as well as women and girls from other components of Iraqi society.
This is very dangerous because other 鈥渧ery similar鈥� brutal and ruthless crimes of sexual violence which are being perpetrated by other armed groups may also remain invisible.
Just last week in Bentiu, South Sudan, more than 150 women and girls were raped and gang-raped while on their way to a food distribution site. In May of this year, in Southern Unity, at least 120 women and girls, including pregnant and lactating mothers and girls as young as 4 years old were raped and gang-raped by multiple armed elements. 132 women and girls were abducted and sexually enslaved. In another incident in October in Western Equatoria, 505 women and 63 girls were abducted for the purpose of sexual slavery. 43 cases of rape and gang rape were also documented.聽 Victims were reportedly tied to trees and raped until they passed out due to pain and bleeding. In transit points or bases of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition聽(SPLA-IO) (Riek Machar), girls as young as 12 were lined up for the commanders to choose as wives. Those not chosen, were left to be raped by other fighters.
Today, there are many forces that push against accountability. I have seen this even in the Security Council over Myanmar. You have all witnessed the recent attacks against the聽International Criminal Court (ICC). The arguments I often hear include:
- It will disrupt the peace
- It will prolong the conflict
- It is expensive
- It is difficult
- It is backward looking rather than forward looking.
These days justice have the weakest constituents while the forces seeking delay or outright impunity are multiple and strong. We have to push back and stay united. The value of accountability cannot be underestimated.
The message of Nadia must be amplified everywhere. Justice empowers survivors, shines a light on truth, and offers healing and closure, allowing an affected community to move forward. Justice at its best is not merely retribution or punishment, it is a transformation.
Comprehensive service provision for survivors
Nadia Murad is also advocating for enhanced comprehensive services for survivors of sexual violence in Iraq.
Denis Mukwege has dedicated his life to heal broken bodies of victims of sexual violence and to and restore their dignity.
My Office, through 蘑菇视频 Action, is focusing on a comprehensive model of service provision.
Mental health services
I am placing a lot of focus on the qualitative and quantitative gap in the provision of mental health services which I have observed during my field missions. Mental health and psychosocial support interventions are essential components of the comprehensive package of care that survivors of sexual violence need. Recovery from rape trauma is a deeply personal and highly individualized journey. The alarmingly high rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in survivors of sexual violence is a strong indication that the current therapies for rape victims are inadequate and need improvement.
I see an acute need to go beyond psychological first aid and to provide specialized mental health care. I am advocating for the development of more effective and holistic therapies in the future.
Livelihood support
I am also focusing on the importance of economic livelihood programmes for survivors given the demonstrated link between economic security and physical security.
Reparations
In addition to livelihood support, I think that structurally transformative reparations can help to break the cyclical connection between poverty and sexual violence.
It is a fact that the vast majority of survivors never see the inside of a courtroom.
Most CRSV cases are never reported and of those that are, few cases are prosecuted.
During my interaction with survivors, I have noted that reparations for the harms suffered is what they most often demand and yet receive the least.
The better way to support survivors is to put their needs first.
For me, reparations are the most victim-centred justice mechanism available and the most significant means of making a difference in the lives of victims. I am currently engaged in discussion with the Panzi Foundation on the possibility of establishing a Victims鈥� Reparations Fund.
Conclusion
When he took office, the 蘑菇视频 Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres stated that 鈥淧revention is not just a priority; it is the priority鈥�. I fully endorse his vision and I, too believe that the international community spends far more time and resources responding to crises than preventing them.
Indeed, many of these atrocities could have been prevented if more had been done, early and collectively. I will continue, in my advocacy role, to urge the international community to give that agenda the investment and action it deserves, so as to replace horror with hope.
Prevention of sexual violence must be the most important goal in the field of sexual violence. This means both helping the victims and helping to ensure there are no more victims.