Geneva, 19 June 2018
Distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen, warm greetings.
Thank you for the opportunity to make some brief remarks at this convening of experts from civil society, working together to strengthen the fight against impunity for sexual violence. This workshop is a substantive and strategic way to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Indeed, since I took office last year, one of my key messages has been that we must reverse cultures of impunity for sexual violence 鈥� history鈥檚 most silenced crime 鈥� into cultures of deterrence and prevention.
Impunity for sexual violence reverberates in homes and on streets and contributes to these crimes being viewed as less serious. When sexual violence is not addressed, it is normalized often resulting in increased levels of violence against women.
The paucity of domestic prosecutions for crimes of sexual violence, the limited volume of international prosecutions for these crimes, and the global scale of these crimes, particularly in situations of armed conflict, continue to leave an impunity gap so distinct that it has become the focus of several Security Council resolutions. Resolution 1820 calls for the prosecution of those responsible for crimes of sexual violence and highlights the need to end impunity 鈥渁s part of a comprehensive approach to seeking sustainable peace, justice and national reconciliation.鈥�
Prosecutions are necessary to demonstrate intolerance for violations of human rights. Accountability is critical to building a more just society and to redirecting the shame and stigma suffered by victims towards the perpetrators. The experts gathered here today are working at the forefront of these efforts globally. I salute the incredible courage of women鈥檚 and victims鈥� groups in challenging impunity for these heinous crimes, often decades after they occurred. These prosecution efforts and successful outcomes set influential precedents and can provide key lessons to practitioners in other national systems.
Indeed, collaboration amongst all stakeholders is necessary if we are to end impunity for sexual violence in conflict. A positive example of this collaboration comes from TRIAL鈥檚 own work in South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where TRIAL provided survivors of sexual violence with strong legal representation, and worked in collaboration with the United Nations, local judicial actors, and international and local civil society organizations. When these actors join forces with the common goal of ending impunity, we see that convictions of high-level perpetrators, even in complex cases, are possible.
Over the past year, I have met with survivors of sexual violence in Maiduguri; Goma; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Darfur; Yazidi survivors of ISIL captivity in northern Iraq; survivors of the stadium massacre and mass rape in Guinea-Conakry; and Rohingya survivors who have sought refuge in Bangladesh. All the survivors had one clear message: they all demand justice.
I believe justice is achievable if we create the conditions for it to occur. That is our obligation to current survivors of sexual violence, but also to future generations, so that they may never experience this scourge. I have seen the cost of inaction firsthand. It is the unimaginable suffering in the eyes of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence; the physical and psychological trauma that often requires lifelong medical care to heal; the loss of education and economic opportunities; and the loss of family and community due to shame and stigma, and in some of the most tragic cases, conflict-related sexual violence results in the loss of human life itself.
All of us have a role to play in ensuring that justice is no longer delayed or denied. We all have the responsibility, to work together to ensure that survivors receive the justice and reparations they rightfully deserve.
Thank you for the opportunity to share these reflections, and for your critical contribution to this cause.
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