Violence Against Women and Girls Is a Human Rights Abuse

United Nations Agencies and NGOs Join Forces in Global ‘16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign’

23 November 2007 - Regional United Nations agencies and international nongovernmental organisations join forces to speak out against gender-based violence in all its appalling manifestations on the occasion of the “16 Days of Activism” global campaign that begins on 25th November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The campaign ends on International Human Rights Day on 10 December, reinforcing the message that violence against women and
girls - from rape as a weapon of warfare to female genital mutilation - is a human rights abuse. The UN agencies and NGOs urge governments in Central and Eastern Africa to act with a sense of urgency in addressing and preventing gender-based violence and deliver tangible results to protect and support vulnerable women and girls and survivors.

The appeal also goes out to all national and regional authorities, armed forces, civil society and the international community: while acknowledging ongoing and laudable initiatives to address genderbased violence, all must redouble their efforts to combat the violence that devastates and humiliates individuals, destroys families, tears communities apart and eventually will arrest any attempt towards sustainable human development. In particular, the phenomenon of sexual
violence is widespread in Central and Eastern Africa, not least in areas affected by armed conflict and breakdown of law and order. Of particular concern is the situation in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where the violence has reached grotesque proportions.

In September, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes, described the situation of sexual violence against women in Eastern DRC as “almost unimaginable”. In July 2007, Dr. Yakin Ertürk, special rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council on Violence against Women, said an estimated 4,500 cases of rape had been reported in South Kivu in the first six months of 2007 alone, with many more going unreported. She noted that local communities perceived sexual violence as “normal”.

In addition, incidences of sexual violence continue to contribute to the spread of the HIV/AIDS. Former Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis, commenting on the situation in Eastern DRC, said that “the AIDS virus thrives on armed conflict. Sexual violence thrives on armed conflict. If we don't do something, and soon, HIV/AIDS and violence against women are destined to win”.

Sexual and gender-based violence should be addressed robustly on several fronts simultaneously, not least because the violence does not end when armed conflict ends - it must be addressed also in postconflict settings. This year’s 16-Days campaign is focused on how to overcome social attitudes and policies that allow the violence to continue unabated, very often with impunity. The violence, suffering, impunity and repeated violence trap women and girls, but also boys and men, in a vicious cycle that must change.

Legislation must be in place and respected to deter and punish perpetrators - this will also ensure that more victims come forward to report and seek physical and psychological assistance.

As humanitarian and development partners:

• We call on governments, as primarily responsible for the protection of civilians, to act now to implement effective policies and measures to prevent sexual genderbased violence in the letter and spirit of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (October 2000).
• We urge all governments participating in the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (IC/GLR) to ratify and translate into national law the humanitarian Protocol for the Prevention and Suppression of Sexual Violence against Women and Children 2 as well as effectively implement it.
• We urge communities and local authorities in the Central and Eastern African region to address attitudes and behaviour that allow sexual and gender-based violence to continue, to listen to the voices of survivors and respond to their needs.
• We remind governments of their obligation to hold perpetrators accountable for their offences and recall that sexual and gender-based violence is classified under international norms as a crime against humanity in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court3.
• Finally, we appeal to the international community to reinforce the commitment to combat sexual and gender-based violence and strengthen support to governments and civil society in their efforts to do the same. We recommend strengthening regional, multi-sectoral and well co-ordinated approaches to resolve the problem through networks and initiatives such as the Stop Rape Now campaign by UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict.

For further information, please contact: Jens Laerke, Regional Public Information Officer, UN-OCHA RO-CEA, laerke@un.org, +254 (20) 762 ext. 2119, mob: +254 (0)7 22 513 503