Conflict-related sexual violence is on the rise globally. In a report of the UN Secretary-General to the UN Security Council, 49 global parties were noted as being credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict in 2021.
But conflict alone is not the only driver of sexual and gender-based violence. Health emergencies, notably Covid-19, and natural disasters, including those caused by extreme climate events, are also major factors.
In 2021, a rapid review undertaken by UN Women in four countries found that more than half of women surveyed reported that they or a woman they know experienced physical violence and verbal abuse since the onset of Covid-19.
In 2018, the UN verified more than 24,000 grave violations against children and adolescents in 20 countries, including recruitment of child soldiers, killing or maiming, and sexual assault or abduction. These atrocities will not go away of their own accord.
We urgently need targeted action and interventions to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence, particularly in humanitarian and fragile settings. Survivors require targeted sexual and reproductive health services, and social care and need to participate in relevant decision-making.
At the global level, there is a need for concerted multilateral efforts to accelerate action to tackle sexual and gender-based violence and to strengthen international collaboration for comprehensive sexual reproductive health and rights for all individuals. We must also ensure gender-responsive and age-sensitive reparations for all survivors, in line with international human rights and international humanitarian law.
At the national level, countries need to establish enabling and protective frameworks, and focus resources, to protect the physical and mental health of refugees and others at risk of personal violence and displacement because of conflict. Measures should be embedded within a comprehensive agenda for sexual and reproductive health and rights which protects access to sexual and reproductive health services in all settings, including in humanitarian responses.
Measures to promote accountability, ensure access to justice and reparation for survivors, and address impunity of perpetrators, are also necessary.
Countries should ear-mark long-term investments and social protection schemes in order to mainstream this agenda throughout emergency humanitarian responses and in programming across all sectors.
This includes investments in capacity strengthening, monitoring, and data analysis, and essential training of health care workers and other relevant sectors, including justice and education, as well as providing an enabling and safe environment in which they can work.
We are faced with a global plague of sexual and gender-based violence. It feeds off the lawless chaos of conflict, the unprecedented disruption of COVID-19, and the growing destruction wrought by climate change.
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women has elaborated guidance on the gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in the context of climate change and women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations.
We have the tools to end this plague, but it will require an integrated partnership approach at all levels. Our actions must be guided by key human rights principles — equality and non-discrimination, participation and empowerment, accountability and access to justice.
No single input will work on its own, so every sector and stakeholder must contribute to stamp out sexual and gender-based violence in conflict and humanitarian settings.
Helen Clark is the PMNCH Board Chair and former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Michelle Bachelet is the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and former President of Chile; and José Manuel Albares is Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs
*This Op-Ed was originally published in The BMJ on 26 August 2022*
