I thank all briefers for their presentations and – even more crucially – their daily tireless work.
I also thank the Special Representative for the presentation of the annual report on conflict-related sexual violence and welcome the concrete recommendations therein.
It is the 12th dedicated report by the Secretary-General, which clearly shows that conflict-related sexual violence – unforgivable and still unpunished – is widely used as a weapon of war across conflicts.
We need to treat it systematically as such – picking up its early signs, countering its use, making it part of ceasefires and peace agreements, and making sure that those who commit it are punished and not included in amnesty provisions, ignoring its severity and impact.
We also need to admit that the victims and survivors of conflict-related sexual violence are victims and survivors of war. They deserve support and justice.
We cannot address conflict-related violence – neither as states nor as the Security Council – without recognising the need to ensure the full enjoyment of human rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, by women and girls.
The Secretary-General’s report confirms that gender inequality is a root cause and a driver of sexual violence in times of conflict and peace.
It turns women and girls into targets and means to wage war. It contributes to stigma, victim-blaming and underreporting of sexual violence. Gender inequality, compounded by harmful social norms, also means that the price for sexual violence remains low or non-existent and results in gaps in legal frameworks and services for survivors.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these inequalities, even more so for women and girls in conflict situations – as the Council recognised in resolution 2532.
The Secretary-General has drawn attention to the reports of sexual violence against women and girls in Tigray. We have acknowledged the Ethiopian government’s willingness to collaborate with international human rights experts and we urge it to guarantee an independent and credible investigation and unimpeded access of experts as well humanitarian aid organizations to assist the survivors of sexual violence.
In Yemen conflict-related sexual violence has been reportedly committed by all parties, including in detention and in IDP camps. We welcome the adoption of the Council resolution 2564, which designated an individual based on actions related to the systematic detention, torture and sexual violence against politically active women.
We reiterate our call for accountability for conflict-related sexual violence, which is long overdue, in Syria as well as for violence committed by the Tatmadaw in Myanmar.
As a member of the Security Council, Estonia will:
- Continue to underline the fundamental importance of human rights, including women and girls’ human rights in combatting conflict-related sexual violence;
- We continue to call for women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in peace processes as well as COVID-19 recovery;
- We have and will continue to underline the absolutely crucial importance of accountability – through domestic systems of justice or, if appropriate, through the International Criminal Court. Estonia continues its support to the Team of Experts, which in 2020 provided technical assistance to the prosecution and trial of Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka. Redress and reparations for survivors are part of accountability.
- We support the designation and use of sexual violence as a stand-alone criterion for sanctions and the SRSG’s briefings to the SC sanctions committees.
- We encourage all parties to conflict to adopt specific commitments to address conflict-related sexual violence.
- We continue to call for a non-discriminatory and rights-based approach to assisting survivors of sexual violence, respecting their diversity and needs. This includes the provision of comprehensive services, including psychosocial, legal, and sexual and reproductive health services and livelihood support.
- We continue to support the mandating and deployment of women protection advisors and look forward to their deployment in Libya and Sudan. We see sufficient capacity and funding as key for the functioning of the monitoring and reporting arrangements.
- We will continue to call for the Council to speak up on reprisals and attacks, including targeted sexual violence against women active in public life, women human rights defenders and those providing assistance to survivors of sexual violence.
Mr President,
The shadow that conflict-related sexual violence casts is long: its memory is carried forward and it can fuel endless cycles of violence. Bringing justice and addressing the rights and needs of its survivors is one step towards breaking this cycle.
Thank you.
