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	Central African Republic: Repeated attacks on medical care leave people vulnerable to disease by Medecins Sans Frontieres, OCHA, agencies   IPC: Central African Republic: Acute Food Security Situation Projection Update for April - August 2024   This projection update shows that the food insecurity situation in Central African Republic remains concerning, with around 2.5 million people (41 percent of the population analysed) in IPC Phase 3 or above. This includes 508,000 people who are in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and 2 million people in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis). These people require immediate action to save lives, protect their livelihoods and reduce food consumption gaps.   The prefectures of Mbomou, Haut-Mbomou, Haute-Kotto, Mambere-Kadei, Mnbomou, Nana-Mambere and Ouham-Pende have the highest rates of food insecurity, with more than 50 percent of the population in IPC Phase 3 or above. These prefectures are followed by Kemo (48 percent), Ouaka (45 percent), Vakaga and Lobaye (40 percent). A total of 11 sub-prefectures have been classified in Phase 4, while 59 have been classified in Phase 3.   The sub-prefectures classified in Phase 4 are mainly those of Bambouti, Djéma and Obo (Haut-Mbomou), Ouadda and Yalinga (Haute-Kotto), Ouanga (Mbomou), Nana-Bakasa and Nana-Boguila (Ouham), Birao and Ouada-Djallé (Vakaga). The people experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity are mainly displaced or affected by armed conflict across the country.   People experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity are mainly those living in situations of displacement as well as those affected by armed groups’ activities. People living in landlocked areas have difficulties accessing markets and selling local agricultural products because of poor road infrastructure. Poor households in urban or peri-urban areas face particular challenges as their access to food is dependent on markets but that access capacity is limited due to low purchasing power, the increase in prices of basic foodstuffs and the deterioration of livelihoods.   http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-103/en/   Jan. 2023   Central African Republic: Situation Report. (OCHA)   With 50 per cent of the population not eating enough, CAR has one of the highest proportions of critically food-insecure people in the world.   The humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) continues to deteriorate. As a result of violence against civilians and insecurity in areas outside urban centres, several million people are increasingly vulnerable and their livelihoods are eroding. Their access to food and basic services such as health care and water supply is drastically limited.   In 2023, 3.4 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection, an increase of 10 per cent compared to 2022. This includes 2 million people who will have such complex and severe needs that their physical and mental well-being is at risk.   These are the findings of a joint multi-sectoral analysis conducted by the humanitarian community among vulnerable people, published in the Humanitarian Needs Overview 2023 for CAR.   People affected by the crisis were at the heart of the analysis, with 23,300 households interviewed in all 72 sub-prefectures of the country. The results shed light on how the current crisis is affecting the living conditions of the population, available services and access to these services, and inform about people's priority needs.   Increasing needs   The sectors with the largest number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2023 are water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), food security, health and protection, covering between 2.7 and 3 million people. Food security and WASH are the sectors with the greatest increase of needs, with 600,000 (+25 per cent) and 200,000 (+7 per cent) more people in need of assistance compared to 2022.   While clashes between parties to the conflict have decreased in intensity to some extent, violence against civilians has not kept pace and their livelihoods continue to deteriorate, including through forced displacement.   In addition, the stress within households due to food insecurity, as well as the adoption of negative coping mechanisms have led to an increase in gender-based violence (GBV), affecting thousands of women and girls. Of the 10 sub-prefectures that recorded an increase in GBV cases, five sub-prefectures are classified in phase 4 of 5 on an international food insecurity classification scale, just one step away from a catastrophic situation.   Thanks to generous donor contributions, humanitarian partners in CAR have provided life-saving multi-sectoral assistance to 1.5 million people during the first nine months of 2022, despite a volatile security context.   Humanitarian partners are counting on the continued commitment of donors to stand by Central Africans and enable humanitarian organizations to respond to the ever-growing needs of the population in 2023.   http://reliefweb.int/report/central-african-republic/central-african-republic-situation-report-4-april-2023 http://reliefweb.int/report/central-african-republic/central-african-republic-situation-report-18-jan-2023 http://reliefweb.int/country/caf http://reports.unocha.org/en/country/car/ http://www.concern.net/news/hunger-central-african-republic-massive-humanitarian-crisis http://pulitzercenter.org/stories/how-worlds-deadliest-crises-go-unseen   June 2022   Central African Republic: Food insecurity reaches catastrophic proportions due to conflict   The Central African Republic (CAR) is a fertile country. It rains abundantly, the soil is rich and a variety of crops, fruits and vegetables grow almost year-round. Despite this apparent abundance, one in two people do not have enough to eat. The reason for this is the conflict, which has intensified again since the beginning of the year.   The number of internally displaced people has not been this high since 2014, now reaching 658,000 people, and far more in the previous months. People live in fear of attacks and abuses by armed groups, which limits their mobility and access to fields and forests for farming, gathering and hunting. This dangerous environment also limits the access of humanitarian organizations to people in need of assistance. One of the consequences is the continued deterioration of food insecurity since last year.   Nutrition and food security indicators for the lean season, which runs from April to August, are likely to be bleak. Poor access to agricultural inputs and the impact of the conflict on livelihoods have reduced cultivated land and affected household food stocks.   In April, CAR reported one of the highest proportions of critically food insecure people in the world, along with Yemen, South Sudan and Afghanistan: nearly 50 per cent of the population (2.2 million people) do not have enough to eat and do not know where their next meal will come from.   The situation is particularly worrying in the Bakouma, Koui, Ngaoundaye, Obo and Zémio Sub-prefectures where the proportion of people affected by food insecurity is between 65 and 75 per cent. In West and Central Africa, CAR is the country with the second highest number of people in emergency food situation after Nigeria, with 638,000 people on the verge of famine, according to recent results of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).   Supply chain disruptions driven by the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to an increase in already high food prices in CAR. In addition, new dynamics from the conflict in Ukraine are leading to price increases for basic food items.   By August, the prices of some of the most commonly consumed goods in CAR are expected to increase by more than 70 percent. Yet, already 1 in 2 Central Africans were living below the poverty line (US$1.9 per day) and rely today on local markets that are under pressure.   Across the country, 395,000 children under the age of five are chronically malnourished, 40 per cent of all children in this age group – a rate considerably higher than the emergency threshold of 30 per cent. Inadequate nutrition over a long period disrupts their growth. Acute malnutrition is a major public health problem and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in young children.   http://reliefweb.int/report/central-african-republic/central-african-republic-situation-report-1-jun-2022   Apr. 2022 (OCHA)   More than 60 per cent of the population already needs humanitarian assistance in the Central African Republic and the situation is likely to worsen in coming months because the crisis in Ukraine is disrupting supply chains, and prices on fuel, medicine and food are rising.   For example, the price of wheat flour has increased by 36 per cent in the last two weeks and is expected to increase a further 30 per cent by August. It is projected that 2.2 million people, 45 per cent of the population, will suffer from high levels of acute food insecurity during the lean season (April to August). Health agencies only have 30 per cent of the medication and other essential supplies they need to respond.   There is an urgent need for a scaled-up humanitarian response, and funding requirements will increase drastically, including for health and food response, and logistics. The Humanitarian Response Plan requesting US$ 461 million to assist 2 million people in 2022, is only 20 per cent funded to date.   http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1155567/ http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-62/en/ http://reports.unocha.org/en/country/car/   July 2021   Central African Republic: Repeated attacks on medical care leave people vulnerable to disease and death. (MSF)   Bangui – Relentless attacks on patients, health staff and medical facilities in Central African Republic (CAR) during a countrywide surge in violence are forcing the suspension of medical activities and seriously constraining people’s access to healthcare, says Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).   “The resurgence of the conflict in CAR since December has taken a heavy toll on people and on medical care,” says Rhian Gastineau, MSF head of mission. “We are very alarmed by the repeated attacks on patients, health workers and medical facilities.”   Over the past six months, MSF teams have witnessed dozens of health facilities ransacked, damaged and occupied by armed men. Armed incursions into hospitals have seen patients subjected to violence, physical abuse, interrogation and arrest.   Community health workers in rural areas have been threatened and assaulted, while motorbike riders delivering lifesaving drugs and transporting sick and wounded patients to hospital have been attacked, injured and robbed at gunpoint. These acts of violence are usually attributed by the warring parties to uncontrolled elements of various armed groups.   Health facilities ransacked   In February this year, fighting between government forces and non-state armed groups inside an MSF-supported health centre in Elevage camp for displaced people, near Bambari, left the building damaged after it was hit by a rocket. In June, a nearby health post was destroyed after 8,500 displaced people were expelled from the site, which was then burned to the ground.   Over the past six months, our mobile teams in the prefectures of Ouaka, Ouham-Pendé and Ombella-Mpoko have witnessed multiple health facilities ransacked and partially destroyed, with solar panels, medical supplies and mattresses stolen, and doors and windows smashed.   In Bangui and elsewhere, armed men have entered health facilities managed and supported by MSF to interrogate or arrest patients. In February, armed men attempted to kill a patient in the MSF-supported hospital in Bouar.   MSF forced to suspend activities   As a result of these incidents, on several occasions MSF has had to temporarily suspend our medical activities, including providing lifesaving care, supervising health centre staff, supplying drugs and transporting patients.   “Being forced to suspend our activities only exacerbates people’s vulnerability and results in the avoidable deaths of young children and women with complications in pregnancy and childbirth, among others,” says Kohler.   In Paoua, Bria and elsewhere, the growing insecurity has prevented our teams from making regular visits to the outlying health centres they support. This has a profound impact on the quality of care provided and disrupts the supply of essential drugs.   We have had to reduce referrals of patients by motorbike from rural areas to Kabo since April due to the risks involved; as a result, the number of patients referred each month has nearly halved. In June, MSF community health workers in some areas around Kabo managed to carry out just a quarter of their usual number of weekly consultations due to the insecurity.   “The suspension and reduction of medical outreach activities across numerous areas where we work is very concerning, particularly with the ongoing rainy season, when cases of malaria and other life-threatening diseases peak,” says Kohler.   Fear and panic disrupt healthcare   As a result of the increased insecurity, many people are too scared to leave their homes to visit a doctor, while many health staff have fled their places of work to seek safety.   On occasion, the violence has triggered large numbers of people to arrive at hospital compounds in search of protection, disrupting health services. Sometimes, as happened in Kabo in July, just the rumour of an attack is enough to create a sudden movement of panicked people.   “Unfortunately, it is not new for violence to impact medical care in CAR,” says Gastineau. “It is a structural problem in periods of conflict.”   “The multiplicity of armed groups and the active fighting have caused a very volatile situation, which also affects areas that were previously considered relatively stable,” says Gastineau. “This further constrains access to healthcare for a population already struggling to get the basics.”   MSF urges the government and all parties to the conflict to respect the neutrality of health facilities and to allow people access to medical and humanitarian assistance.   “Now, more than ever, all parties to the conflict should reinforce respect for international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and medical facilities, transport and staff,” says Gastineau.   http://www.msf.org/violence-fear-and-conflict-continues-displace-people-and-restrict-access-healthcare-car http://www.msf.org/repeated-attacks-medical-care-leave-people-vulnerable-car http://www.msf.org/attacks-medical-care http://www.msf.org/msf-suspends-medical-activities-south-west-cameroon http://www.msf.org/violence-and-sense-impunity-halts-lifesaving-care-northeastern-drc http://www.msf.org/ethiopia-msf-seeks-answers-government-after-new-media-report-killing-its-staff http://www.msf.org/access-medical-care-undermined-following-robbery-msf-staff-yei-south-sudan http://www.msf.org/latest-portal Visit the related web page
	International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict by UN News, MSF, OHCHR, agencies   July 2023   Alarming rise in sexual violence against displaced girls in Eastern DRC, reports Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect   A dramatic increase in grave cases of sexual violence against women and girls have been recorded in recent months in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) conflict-ridden eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. More than 31,000 cases of gender-based violence were documented in the first three months of 2023 alone in these provinces. The number of incidents is likely significantly underreported given fear of shame stigma or retaliation.   Women and girls fleeing fighting have been at particularly heightened risk. Since March 2022 at least 2.8 million Congolese have been displaced by violence and insecurity in these provinces, where resurgent clashes between myriad armed groups and the government’s armed forces have increased the risk of atrocities.   In the first three months of this year, 10,339 survivors in North Kivu – 66 percent of whom were raped – accessed gender-based violence services. Following a visit to the country during June, Pramila Patten, the UN’s Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, said that many women and girls reported the “daily risk” of sexual violence and assault while carrying out livelihood activities in and around displacement camps around Goma, the provincial capital, including while searching for food, water or collecting firewood for cooking.   Food insecurity and the lack of livelihood opportunities have also heightened the risks of exploitation and abuse.   On 14 July the UN Security Council convened its annual open debate on conflict-related sexual violence, during which Special Representative Patten presented the latest report on patterns of such violence in over 20 countries. According to the report, the DRC was yet again the country with the highest number of verified cases last year. During the debate, Patten stressed, “The reality is that until we effectively raise the cost and consequences for committing, commanding or condoning sexual violence, we will never stem the tide of such violations.”   Survivors need urgent protection, as well as psychosocial and medical support. The international community should scale up humanitarian efforts for displaced populations. Government authorities should investigate, pursue and hold accountable all perpetrators of sexual violence, as well as implement the Framework for the Prevention of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence.   Local and national authorities must ensure security at displacement sites in accordance with their primary obligation to protect civilians under International Humanitarian Law and in a manner that respects International Human Rights Law.   International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict - Statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres:   Sexual violence in conflict is a cruel tactic of war, torture, terror and repression. It reverberates down generations, and threatens both human and international security.   In places affected by conflict, the turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more difficult to hold perpetrators of sexual violence to account.   At the same time, survivors face new obstacles to reporting crimes and accessing support services.   Even as we respond to the pandemic, we must investigate every case, and maintain essential services for every survivor. We cannot allow this already underreported crime to slip further into the shadows. Perpetrators must be punished.   Investment in recovery from the pandemic must tackle the root causes of sexual and gender-based violence.   On this International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, let’s resolve to uphold the rights and meet the needs of all survivors, as we work to prevent and end these horrific crimes.   “Conflict-related sexual violence” refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, enforced sterilization, forced marriage and any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity perpetrated against women, men, girls or boys that is directly or indirectly linked to a conflict. The term also encompasses trafficking in persons when committed in situations of conflict for the purpose of sexual violence or exploitation.   A consistent concern is that fear and cultural stigma converge to prevent the vast majority of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence from coming forward to report such violence. Practitioners in the field estimate that for each rape reported in connection with a conflict, 10 to 20 cases go undocumented.   UN Women expresses its grave concern at the continued use of sexual violence as a tactic of war, terrorism and political repression and calls on all parties to conflicts to commit to ceasing such acts.   Sexual violence in conflict disproportionately impacts women and girls and causes grave and lasting harm to survivors, their families and their communities, posing major barriers to peace and development.   The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed women and girls in conflict and crisis settings to sexual violence and has exacerbated existing barriers to survivors’ access to multisectoral services and justice.   This makes our efforts to promote gender equality and achieve peace, as well as just and inclusive societies, all the more urgent and relevant.   The best way to address any type of human rights violation, including sexual violence in conflict, is to prevent it from happening in the first place, which is why it is crucial to address gender inequality as a root cause of this scourge.   As the world plans its recovery from the pandemic, we need to take an inclusive, intersectional and informed approach, one that recognizes that achieving durable peace and prosperous societies is not possible without women’s expertise, meaningful participation and leadership.   http://reliefweb.int/report/world/conflict-related-sexual-violence-report-secretary-general-s2023413-enarruzh http://reliefweb.int/report/world/strongly-condemning-rise-conflict-related-sexual-violence-speakers-urge-security-council-better-prevent-enforce-accountability-such-crimes http://www.ipsnews.net/2023/08/sexual-violence-survivors-in-tigray-need-urgent-medical-psychological-and-economic-support/   Sep. 2022   South Sudan: UN reports highlight widespread sexual violence against women and girls in conflict, fueled by systemic impunity. (OHCHR)   The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has published a 48-page report that describes a hellish existence for women and girls. Widespread rape is being perpetrated by all armed groups across the country, often as part of military tactics for which government and military leaders are responsible, either due to their failure to prevent these acts, or for their failure to punish those involved.   “It is outrageous and completely unacceptable that women’s bodies are systematically used on this scale as the spoils of war,” declared Yasmin Sooka, chair of the UN Commission. “Urgent and demonstrable action by authorities is long overdue, and South Sudanese men must stop regarding the female body as 'territory' to be owned, controlled and exploited.”   The report is based on interviews conducted with victims and witnesses over several years. Survivors detailed staggeringly brutal and prolonged gang rapes perpetrated against them by multiple men, often while their husbands, parents or children have been forced to watch, helpless to intervene. Women of all ages recounted being raped multiple times while other women were also being raped around them. A woman raped by six men said she was even forced to tell her assailants that the rape was good, or they threatened to rape her again. The resultant traumas ensure the complete destruction of the social fabric.   “Anyone reading the details of this horrific report can only begin to imagine what life is like for the survivors. These accounts are unfortunately just the tip of the iceberg. Everyone, inside and outside governments, should be thinking what they can do to prevent further acts of sexual violence and to provide adequate care for the survivors,” said Andrew Clapham, member of the Commission.   South Sudanese women are physically assaulted while being raped at gunpoint, typically held down by men while being abused by others. They are told not to resist in the slightest way, and not to report what happened, or they will be killed. A woman described her friend being raped by a man in the forest who then said he wanted to continue to ‘have fun’ and further raped her with a firewood stick until she bled to death. Teenage girls described being left for dead by their rapists while bleeding heavily. Medical personnel say many survivors have been raped multiple times throughout their lifetime..   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/11/un-experts-call-south-sudan-investigate-top-government-officials-their-role http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/09/south-sudanese-rape-survivors-left-without-help-let-alone-justice-un-experts http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/03/south-sudan-un-report-highlights-widespread-sexual-violence-against-women   Apr. 2022   Justice critical to fighting sexual violence in conflict. (UN News, agencies)   Pramila Patten, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative working to end rape as a weapon of war in a UN council meeting, underscored how prosecution for the crimes of sexual violence in conflict is critical to deliver justice for survivors and prevent future violence.   She recalled that the Security Council has passed 10 resolutions on Women, Peace and Security, five of which focus on preventing and addressing conflict-related sexual violence. Ms. Patten questioned what such declarations mean right now for women in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Myanmar or Tigray in northern Ethiopia.   “Every new wave of warfare brings with it a rising tide of human tragedy, including new waves of war’s oldest, most silenced, and least-condemned crime - rape and sexual violence,” she said.   Ms. Patten presented horrifying cases of rape and other violations included in her latest report, revealing what she called “the emboldening effects of impunity”. The report covers some 18 country situations and documents thousands of UN-verified cases committed last year.   Ms. Patten underscored how prosecution is critical, and a form of prevention, as it can help turn the culture of impunity for these crimes, towards a culture of deterrence.   “Whereas impunity normalizes violence, justice reinforces global norms. It is time to move from visibility to accountability, and to ensure that today’s documentation translates into tomorrow’s prosecutions,” she said.   Regarding the way forward, her report calls for targeted action to reinforce prevention, the use of early warning indicators of sexual violence as well as threat analysis, curtailing the flow of small arms, gender-responsive justice and security sector reform, together with amplifying the voices of survivors.   Justice and accountability   Nobel laureate Nadia Murad was among thousands of women from the Yazidi minority group in northern Iraq who were sold into sexual slavery and raped by ISIL terrorists, the group officially known now as Da’esh, in 2014.   Eight years on, some 2,800 women and children remain in the hands of the terrorist group, she said. “The pursuit of justice is one of the most visible forms of accountability,” she told the Council, citing the historic genocide conviction of an ISIL fighter by a German court last year. She wondered if the international community will do more.   Action, not pity   “As survivors of sexual violence, it is not easy for us to tell our stories. But we do it to prevent what happened to us from happening to others,” said Ms. Murad. “We are called brave, but the courage we really want to see is from leaders in a position to do something, whether they are Heads of State, Member States here at the UN, or corporate leaders. We need more than moral outrage; we need action.”   Ms. Murad called for the Council to refer the ISIL case to the International Criminal Court, or to establish a hybrid court that will prosecute the group’s crimes. She also urged other nations to follow Germany’s example.   Survivors have found the strength to rebuild their lives and help their families, communities, and countries, she said, so surely the world can find the strength to take meaningful steps to end sexual violence in conflict.   “As survivors, we look to you, the leaders in this room, to act with the same courage we have shown. Survivors do not want pity; we want justice.”   ‘Murad Code’ launched   During the debate, Ms. Murad announced the launch of a new initiative for collecting evidence of rape in war. The Murad Code is a set of guidelines for investigators and others documenting and investigating conflict-related sexual violence. The guidelines were shaped by feedback from survivors around the globe, she said, and aim to promote greater respect, understanding, transparency, and healing.   Two civil society representatives from Syria and Ethiopia also briefed ambassadors.   Legal investigator Mariana Karkoutly said although the Syrian war has been on the Security Council agenda for more than a decade, no action has been taken to hold perpetrators accountable for violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.   She reported that at least 150,000 people are estimated to have been arbitrarily arrested, detained or disappeared since the war began. Nearly 10,000 women are among the scores of Syrians being held in detention centres, where sexual violence is used as a tool to humiliate, punish and force confessions.   Ms. Karkoutly, co-founder of an organization for women lawyers called Huquqyat, outlined a list of actions for the Council that included referring the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court, adopting a resolution on detainees and missing persons, investigating and prosecuting perpetrators of sexual violence, and ensuring women’s rights are at the heart of accountability efforts.   “When people in Syria watch conflicts rage in Ukraine and other parts of the world today, we are reminded of our own suffering, and the abject failure of this body to stop the violence,” she said. “I join my voice with those of the millions of girls and women from Syria who are not here with me today and call on you to take action. There can be no peace without justice.”   Rape and reprisals in Tigray   Hilina Berhanu from Ethiopia spoke of her visits to the Tigray region, where rape has been used as a tactic of war or means of reprisal.   This violence is ethnically motivated, she said, and used to humiliate survivors and their communities. Men and boys have also been victims, while women with disabilities, and those from minority and indigenous communities, have been particularly at risk.   Ms. Berhanu urged the Security Council to demand that all efforts towards documenting, investigating and preventing sexual violence in conflict are centred around survivors. Ambassadors must also demand that warring parties allow safe humanitarian access to people in need in Tigray and elsewhere, and that aid includes comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare.   "Lack of access to psychosocial support services also means that the mental health of survivors hangs in the balance. Many have already died by suicide," she said.   Ms. Berhanu had a special request for the three African countries on the Council – Gabon, Ghana and Kenya -- urging them to work both at the UN and in the Africa Union to drive forward action on women, peace and security.   These countries were also asked “to take a harder look at the prevailing view that supporting investigations of conflict -elated sexual violence in Ethiopia could somehow derail the proposed reform agenda of the current government.”   http://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1116192 http://www.nadiasinitiative.org/news/nadia-murad-delivers-speech-at-un-security-council-open-debate-on-sexual-violence-in-conflict http://www.fidh.org/en/issues/international-justice/universal-jurisdiction/universal-jurisdiction-review-2022-conflict-related-sexual-violence http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/tools-and-resources/conflict-related-sexual-violence-gender-based-violence-against-women http://www.icrc.org/en/document/five-things-know-about-sexual-violence-conflict-zones   * The Murad Code: Is a global, voluntary code of conduct for those collecting information from survivors of systematic and conflict-related sexual violence. The Murad Code’s full title is the “Global Code of Conduct for Gathering and Using Information about Systematic and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence”.   The Code is named after the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Nadia Murad, which reflects its objective to place survivors’ rights and well-being at its heart. The Murad Code project key objective is to respect and support survivors’ rights and to ensure work with survivors to investigate, document and record their experiences is safer, more ethical and more effective in upholding their human rights.   http://www.muradcode.com/murad-code   International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict - Statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres:   Sexual violence in conflict is a cruel tactic of war, torture, terror and repression. It reverberates down generations, and threatens both human and international security.   In places affected by conflict, the turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more difficult to hold perpetrators of sexual violence to account.   At the same time, survivors face new obstacles to reporting crimes and accessing support services.   Even as we respond to the pandemic, we must investigate every case, and maintain essential services for every survivor. We cannot allow this already underreported crime to slip further into the shadows. Perpetrators must be punished.   Investment in recovery from the pandemic must tackle the root causes of sexual and gender-based violence.   On this International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, let’s resolve to uphold the rights and meet the needs of all survivors, as we work to prevent and end these horrific crimes.   “Conflict-related sexual violence” refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, enforced sterilization, forced marriage and any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity perpetrated against women, men, girls or boys that is directly or indirectly linked to a conflict. The term also encompasses trafficking in persons when committed in situations of conflict for the purpose of sexual violence or exploitation.   A consistent concern is that fear and cultural stigma converge to prevent the vast majority of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence from coming forward to report such violence. Practitioners in the field estimate that for each rape reported in connection with a conflict, 10 to 20 cases go undocumented.   UN Women expresses its grave concern at the continued use of sexual violence as a tactic of war, terrorism and political repression and calls on all parties to conflicts to commit to ceasing such acts.   Sexual violence in conflict disproportionately impacts women and girls and causes grave and lasting harm to survivors, their families and their communities, posing major barriers to peace and development.   The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed women and girls in conflict and crisis settings to sexual violence and has exacerbated existing barriers to survivors’ access to multisectoral services and justice.   This makes our efforts to promote gender equality and achieve peace, as well as just and inclusive societies, all the more urgent and relevant.   The best way to address any type of human rights violation, including sexual violence in conflict, is to prevent it from happening in the first place, which is why it is crucial to address gender inequality as a root cause of this scourge.   As the world plans its recovery from the pandemic, we need to take an inclusive, intersectional and informed approach, one that recognizes that achieving durable peace and prosperous societies is not possible without women’s expertise, meaningful participation and leadership.   * UN Resolution (A/RES/69/293): On 19 June 2015, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 19 June of each year the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, in order to raise awareness of the need to put an end to conflict-related sexual violence, to honour the victims and survivors of sexual violence around the world and to pay tribute to all those who have courageously devoted their lives to and lost their lives in standing up for the eradication of these crimes.   http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2022/04/ukraine-un-high-level-officials-urge-the-swift-investigation-of-sexual-violence-allegations-and-call-for-strengthened-measures-to-protect-women-and-girls http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/07/central-african-republic-un-reports-detail-serious-violations-some-possibly http://www.msf.org/thousands-survivors-sexual-violence-need-physical-and-psychological-care-drc http://www.msf.org/sexual-violence http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing/2021/8/611618344/unhcr-gravely-concerned-systematic-sexual-violence-dr-congos-tanganyika.html http://panzifoundation.org/the-crisis/ http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/08/ethiopia-troops-and-militia-rape-abduct-women-and-girls-in-tigray-conflict-new-report/ http://bit.ly/3djYepu http://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/ http://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/report/conflict-related-sexual-violence-report-of-the-united-nations-secretary-general/SG-Report-2020editedsmall.pdf http://bit.ly/2URrMVo http://kvinnatillkvinna.org/2022/06/19/we-must-keep-talking-about-rape-in-war/   Nov. 2021   Do more to support children born of rape in armed conflict and their mothers, UN committees urge States. (OHCHR)   Children born as a result of rape committed in armed conflict must be given better help and support, while women who survive sexual violence require comprehensive protection by the State, two UN committees urged in a joint statement.   "Children born of rape in the context of armed conflict and their mothers are stigmatized, isolated, and deprived of resources. They face discrimination in many ways and on many fronts, as well as marginalization by their own communities," the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Child Rights Committee (CRC) said.   The Committees noted these children often do not have their births registered, and this lack of official documentation in turn often affects their right to a nationality.   "These obstacles can adversely affect a child's human rights, continuing into adulthood, as they can encounter huge problems integrating into society," they added.   The two committees called on States parties to comply with their obligations under both the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.   Given the risk of children being rendered stateless, the Committees urged Governments to ensure that children born of rape are registered with a nationality. "In addition, abandoned children should have access to care services," the Committees stressed.   The Committees also highlighted the high levels of violence to which girls are often subjected in conflict situations. "States parties should make all efforts to rescue girls who have been abducted, ensure their integration into society and provide them and their families with access to psychosocial and other rehabilitation services," they said.   CEDAW and the CRC called for accountability for all forms of gender-based violence against women and children, including sexual violence and exploitation, sexual slavery, domestic servitude, child and forced marriage, as well as the recruitment and use of children during insurgencies and in other slavery-like practices.   They also emphasized the importance of upholding the rights of women and children as central pillars for building and sustaining peace in societies.   CEDAW and CRC are collaborating with the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict to support the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security/sexual violence in conflict. http://bit.ly/32s89Hx   http://www.ohchr.org/en/Issues/Women/WRGS/Pages/PeaceAndSecurity.aspx http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2021/6/statement-un-women-day-for-the-elimination-of-sexual-violence-in-conflict http://bit.ly/3ernJWV http://theconversation.com/uk/topics/sexual-violence-in-conflict-10963 Visit the related web page
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