She wondered if the international community will do more. “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. 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.Įight years on, some 2,800 women and children remain in the hands of the terrorist group, she said. Other recommended measures include 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. Regarding the way forward, her report calls for targeted action to reinforce prevention, such as through political and diplomatic engagement to address sexual violence in ceasefire and peace agreements. It is time to move from visibility to accountability, and to ensure that today’s documentation translates into tomorrow’s prosecutions,” she said. “Whereas impunity normalizes violence, justice reinforces global norms. 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. In 12 cases, lesbian, gay, trans, queer or intersex (LGBTQI) persons were targeted. Most of those targeted - 97 per cent - were women and girls, while 83 cases concerned men and boys, mainly in detention centres.

The report covers some 18 country situations and documents 3,293 UN-verified cases committed last year - 800 more than in 2020, representing “a significant increase”. Patten presented a handful of the horrifying cases of rape and other violations included in her latest report, revealing what she called “the emboldening effects of impunity”. Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, briefs UN Security Council meeting on women and peace and security (file photo).

Strategic war rape