The United Nation Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, has decried the rise in recorded cases of sexual violence against women.
Patten noted that weapons continue to flow into the hands of perpetrators while most victims remain empty handed when it comes to reparations and redress.
“Across time and space, we see that the availability of weapons directly facilitates these attacks.
“The essential, existential task we face is to silence the guns and amplify the voices of women as a critical constituency for peace,” she said.
In her report at the UN’s summit, she stressed that sexual violence cannot be addressed without shifting power dynamics.
She, therefore, called for greater women’s participation, weapons regulation and financial support for human rights defenders.
While the report conveys the severity and brutality of these incidents, she stressed that it does not reflect the global scale or prevalence of what is a chronically underreported, historically hidden crime.
“We know that for every survivor who comes forward, many others are silenced by social pressures, stigma, insecurity, the paucity of services and the limited prospects for justice,” she said.
The report lists 58 parties that are credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for sexual violence, mainly non-State actors.
Over 70 per cent are “persistent perpetrators”, meaning they have appeared on the list for five or more years.
“Women in the war-torn corners of our world need to see hope on the political horizon.
“Our words, deeds and decisions in this Chamber and beyond must give them cause for hope and must contribute to peace with justice, peace with gender equality, peace with dignity and development, peace that endures”, Patten said.
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