Sunday, October 28, 2012

Where are women's rights in plans to tackle rape in war zones? | Lee Webster

2:37 AM | Posted by Free Game Zone | | Edit Post

UK stand against sexual violence in conflict is positive, but the importance of gender expertise must be recognized

At an event in the mists of Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth past, the Foreign Minister will launch a new high-level initiative on the fight against sexual violence in conflict.

is a topic that deserves greater visibility. Rwanda, at least 250,000 women were raped during the 1994 genocide. More than 50,000 women were raped during the war in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995, and Sierra Leone is estimated up to 64,000 women were raped between 1991 and 2002. We will never know the extent of the violation during previous conflicts, but we know that the problem is not new.

is good that the British government is taking a position. Undoubtedly, this raises the political agenda at home and abroad, strengthening the position of the UK as a leader in women, peace and security. The emphasis in the fight against impunity is an important step in the abandonment of sexual violence than to see the "spoils of war" inevitable for a punishable offense and will not be tolerated. But looking at Foreign and Commonwealth Office's proposals, a vital link in the chain seems to be missing. Where are the women's rights?

The plan of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to deploy teams of experts in conflict areas can make an important contribution to the fight against impunity and the reduction of sexual violence, but only if Women's rights are at the heart of its mandate and response is based on the realities and immediate needs of survivors. The Gender Action for Peace and Security Network produced a rapid response to these proposals.

  • expert teams include physicians, psychologists, police, lawyers and forensic experts. But they should also include experts in gender equality and violence against women. Gender experience should be recognized as such. The United Kingdom does not talk about the transition of troops without military experts and diplomats in transition, so why should they deploy teams in the fight against sexual violence, which is rooted in structural inequalities and the oppression of women without jurisdiction to women's rights? The government would do well to emulate the approach of the British experts on violence against women, in particular to ensure safe spaces to denounce violence and support access to appropriate services.

The Foreign and Commonwealth is correct to include proposals for increasing the collection of evidence and improved understanding of the strengthening of the international community and response to epidemic levels of violence devastating. However, the starting point for the collection of evidence should be the needs of survivors. After sexual violence, women should have access to health care, psychological support to cope with the trauma and access to strong legal systems, where law enforcement agencies are trained to deal with victims of rape and sexual abuse of a sensible way. Access to basic support services for women to report, and this should be the priority.


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