Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Bangura briefs the press. UN Photo/Evan Schneider
Despite unprecedented political momentum to fight rape in war zones, sexual violence remains a global crime affecting women, men and children in more than 20 countries, a senior United Nations official announced today urging greater action at the regional and national levels.
“It doesn’t matter whether she comes from Bosnia, she comes from Colombia or Syria or Central Africa, the pain that a woman feels who has been raped is the same,” Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Bangura told journalist in New York at the launch of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s annual report on the issue.
Documenting information based on cases recorded by the UN system in 21 countries of concern, the report identifies 34 armed groups, militia and Government security forces, responsible for using rape as a tool in conflict zones.
Among its findings, the report also links sexual violence with local economies. It notes that rape is used to gain control of territories with natural resources, including minerals, which are used by groups to further fuel conflict, as well as human trafficking and illegal drug trade.
Rape has also been documented as a trigger for mass flight, which further makes women, and especially youth, vulnerable to abuses. Some parents trying to protect daughters push them to early and forced marriages, which has led to cases of human trafficking and sexual slavery, Ms. Bangura noted.
While impunity for sexual violence remains prevalent, it is particularly acute in these situations. Under-reporting of sexual assaults is a function of limited capacity to safely monitor and report, as well as the result of fear of stigmatization and reprisals by the survivors.
2.1. Why gender matters in humanitarian crises
Gender matters in humanitarian assistance because women, girls, boys and men are affected by crises in different ways. They have differentiated needs, suffer from different vulnerabilities, face particular risks, do not necessarily have access to the same resources and services, develop diverse coping or survival mechanisms and possess specific capacities to support their families and communities during and in the aftermath of disasters and conflict. For instance, distribution of non-food items should take into account the specific sanitary needs of women and girls. Also, older women and men may eat less after a disaster as part of their coping strategy. Crises also have a major impact on community and family structures, such as increasing numbers of single or child headed-households. For those in charge of caring for their families — frequently women — crises will often imply an additional burden. This is due to a number of factors such as men’s participation in the hostilities and an increased number of sick, injured and dependants to care for with fewer resources.
Moreover, in most countries around the world, gender inequalities repeatedly make women and girls more vulnerable and disadvantaged. However, women are not simply victims. They can also play an active and important role in contributing to peace and resilience. Likewise, men can be victims of violence or suffer from specific vulnerabilities or risks (e.g. recruitment of boys as child soldiers or sexual violence targeted at boys or men)..........
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT - Gender in Humanitarian Aid: Different Needs, Adapted Assistance
Извор: WUNRN – 24.04.2014
CEDAW Committee General Recommendation No. 30 on Women in Conflict Prevention, Conflict & Post Conflict Situations
General recommendation No. 30 on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations
6.Nationality and Statelessness
58.In addition to the heightened risks faced by internally displaced persons, refugees and asylum seekers, conflict can also be both a cause and a consequence of statelessness, rendering womenand girls particularly vulnerable to various forms of abuse in both the private and public domains. Statelessness can arise when a woman’s experience of conflict intersects with discrimination with respect to nationality rights, such as laws that require women to change nationality upon marriage or its dissolution and that deny them the ability to pass on their nationality.
59.Women may be left stateless when they cannot prove nationality because necessary documents such as identity documents and birth registration are either not issued or are lost or destroyed in conflict and are not reissued in their names. Statelessness may also result in situations where women are denied the ability to pass on nationality to their children owing to gender discriminatory nationality laws.
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is composed of 23 experts of high moral standing and competence in the field covered by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women1. Nominations for membership of the Committee can be made by States parties to the Convention, in accordance with article 17 of the Convention. Article 17 (1) states that “the experts shall be elected by State parties from among their nationals and shall serve in their personal capacity, consideration being given to equitable geographical distribution and to the representation of the different forms of civilization as well as the principal legal systems”. In accordance with article 17 (5), the members of the Committee shall be elected for a term of four years.
The eighteenth meeting of States parties will take place in New York on 26 June 2014 with the aim of electing twelve members of the Committee to replace those members whose term of office will expire on 31 December 2014. States parties to the Convention are invited to nominate their candidates by 7 March 2014.
The nominations and biographical data form (Annex III) should be submitted to the CEDAW Secretariat, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Office at Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland and in electronic version (Word format) to Оваа е-адреса е заштитена од спамботови. Треба да ви е овозможено JavaScript за да ја видите. , copy to Оваа е-адреса е заштитена од спамботови. Треба да ви е овозможено JavaScript за да ја видите. .
For the text of the Convention and the current status of ratification, including reservations and declarations, please refer to the United Nations Treaties Collection on the Internet at http://treaties.un.org.
Извор: Канцеларија на Високиот Комесар за човекови права при Организацијата на Обединетите Нации – 23.04.2014
The Earth Charter
11. Affirm gender equality and equity as prerequisites to sustainable development and ensure universal access to education, health care, and economic opportunity.
a. Secure the human rights of women and girls and end all violence against them.
b. Promote the active participation of women in all aspects of economic, political, civil, social, and cultural life as full and equal partners, decision makers, leaders, and beneficiaries.
c. Strengthen families and ensure the safety and loving nurture of all family members
The Earth Charter
PREAMBLE
We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.
Earth, Our Home
Humanity is part of a vast evolving universe. Earth, our home, is alive with a unique community of life. The forces of nature make existence a demanding and uncertain adventure, but Earth has provided the conditions essential to life's evolution. The resilience of the community of life and the well-being of humanity depend upon preserving a healthy biosphere with all its ecological systems, a rich variety of plants and animals, fertile soils, pure waters, and clean air. The global environment with its finite resources is a common concern of all peoples. The protection of Earth's vitality, diversity, and beauty is a sacred trust.
