Not acceptable.
Not an accident.
Sexual violence is a crime, whenever and wherever it takes place.
Here’s how we’re trying to prevent it and provide care for survivors.
Sexual violence was punished by death in the Lieber Code, first modern code on the law of war, written in 1863.
The 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols also prohibit sexual violence at any time.
There is little or no data, which means its true extent is unknown.
For instance, 66% of survivors interviewed by @hrw didn’t report their assault to authorities or humanitarian organizations.
Swedish politician Margot Wallström puts it frankly: “Every rape – even in the midst of war – is a crime that can be commanded, condoned or condemned”.
Sexual violence is rooted in structural inequalities. It is an abuse of power.
Working in conflict zones, we presume sexual violence occurs unless proven otherwise.
This means we don’t have to wait to start our response, thereby giving people more opportunities for people to get help and to recover from it.
Survivors must be able to share their experiences.
Survivors must not become isolated.
We also work with combatants to prevent it from happening.