蘑菇视频

Excellencies, Distinguished participants,

We gather here at this global conference in the shared conviction that sexual violence 鈥� even in the midst of war 鈥� is preventable, not inevitable.

The survivors I have met in warzones around the world have repeatedly told me: 鈥�what happened to me could have been prevented鈥�, and 鈥�no one else should have to suffer as I did鈥�. And yet, this scourge, which should have been relegated to history, remains in our daily headlines. Strengthening the global response is our global responsibility. Yet, for too long, we have been on the backfoot 鈥� locked in reactive mode, in the absence of effective early warning and preventive diplomacy. Prevention is the best protection. We must, therefore, dig deeper and unearth the root causes of wartime sexual violence 鈥� including structural gender-based inequality and exclusion 鈥� and in their place, sow the seeds of prevention and change. Conflict-related sexual violence occurs at the intersection of armed hostilities and gender-based discrimination. It results from dynamics specific to both, and sets back the cause of gender equality and the cause of peace.

In the face of immense global turbulence, including an epidemic of conflicts and coups, which have turned back the clock on women鈥檚 rights, we are forced to reflect on the ways we are, in fact, feeding the flames of violence, through unchecked militarization and misogyny. The unabated brutality of sexual violence on 21^st Century battlefields 鈥� from Ukraine, to northern Ethiopia, from eastern DRC, to Afghanistan, Myanmar, Mali, Sudan, South Sudan, and elsewhere 鈥� continue to shock the collective conscience. And these are only the latest in a long litany of battles fought on the bodies of women and girls.

Over the past two decades, a series of promises have been made to survivors and those at risk. The ambitious Security Council resolutions adopted since 2008 represent a political commitment to bring the full range of diplomatic and enforcement tools to bear to end the vicious cycle of violence and impunity, and replace it with a virtuous cycle of recognition, resourcing, and response. We have promised to train military, police, and peacekeeping forces on the categorical prohibition of sexual violence; to reform national laws to ensure they offer comprehensive protection for women, girls, men, and boys; to address the issue in ceasefire agreements, peace accords, peacekeeping mandates, and transitional justice processes; and to amplify the voices of survivors as the co-creators of solutions.

When I look around this room, I see a unique opportunity to stitch-up our efforts for more seamless synergy of action. It is time to bring all the expertise, resources, passion, and compassion present here, at this unique global gathering, to bear in closing the gap between promises and practice. In addition, each of us must continue to reach out to those not yet cognizant or convinced of the gravity of this issue, to expand the circle of allies and stakeholders. Eradicating conflict-related sexual violence is everyone鈥檚 business; it is unfinished business; but it cannot be business as usual. We must forge a new social contract in which no military or political leader is above the law, and no innocent civilian is beneath the scope of its protection. This entails decisive action and investment to build resilience and mitigate the risks of sexual violence before it has begun.

In September, I launched a Framework for the Prevention of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, which sets out a two-track approach, namely: to prevent sexual violence in the first instance, and to mitigate the secondary harms that can follow in its wake. With respect to the first pillar, compliance with existing norms of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law is the most effective form of prevention. If civilians continue to suffer sexual violence in situations of armed conflict, it is not for a lack of international norms and institutions to protect them. It is because existing norms are inadequately respected and enforced. It is because existing institutions are not backed with sustained political resolve and resources equal to the scale of the challenge. Prosecution is also a form of prevention. Visible and consistent prosecution, whether by national institutions, the International Criminal Court, or third States pursuant to universal jurisdiction, can cast a long shadow that influences the behavior of belligerents. By contrast, we have seen that impunity is tantamount to 鈥渓icense to rape鈥�, and that unpunished crime is repeated crime. It is thus critical to replace impunity with unity. This means ensuring that perpetrators, spoilers to the peace, and their financial backers, have no 鈥渟afe haven鈥� or hiding place. As the pace of justice can be painfully slow, sanctions and economic pressures must work in tandem with judicial accountability to send a signal that these crimes will carry consequences, and to raise the cost of war鈥檚 so-called 鈥�cheapest weapon鈥�. When attackers walk free, the survivors walk in fear. Secondary harms such as threats, reprisals, re-traumatization, stigma, poverty, and isolation can also be prevented. Timely, survivor-centered protection and assistance, including socioeconomic reintegration support, can help to rebuild lives and livelihoods, and replace horror with healing and hope. Even when the guns fall silent, the daily battle against stigma continues for survivors and children born of rape. We must therefore work to shift harmful social norms related to honor, shame, and victim-blame, including through engagement with religious and traditional leaders. The Prevention Framework also reminds us that hard data is not a pre-requisite for precautionary measures and the pre-positioning of essential services. Rather, we must act as soon as the red flag is raised. In this regard, the voices of women in the path of violence must be taken seriously by security stakeholders.

Excellencies, distinguished delegates,

When it comes to prevention, the measure of success is not more speeches, but less sexual violence, not more words, but less war. Beyond expressions of sorrow and solidarity, survivors deserve tangible results, including in terms of justice, reparations, and service-delivery. I remain convinced that change is possible because we have seen great change. In the past two decades, we have overturned centuries of silence and denial. Today, we are reaching and supporting thousands of survivors who had once been invisible and inaccessible. The fact that we are gathered here in such great numbers attests to the widespread recognition of sexual violence as a critical peace and security challenge of our time. The founding mission of the United Nations was to 鈥�save succeeding generations from the scourge of war鈥�. Today, there is a political consensus that this mission includes saving succeeding generations from war鈥檚 oldest and most silenced crime 鈥� the scourge of wartime rape.

It is often said that history repeats itself. But the truth is that people repeat history, or they choose to take a stand and say never again.

Thank you for being here, to stand on the right side of history, and say with one voice: Never again.