Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. Courtesy: Pramila Patten

By Samira Sadeque
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 19 2020 (IPS)

While the coronavirus does not discriminate, its impact does. And the needs of survivors of sexual violence in conflict “cannot be put on pause, and neither can the response” during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, Jun. 19 marks the sixth annual International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. This year, the day focuses on the COVID-19 impact on survivors of sexual violence and to ensure that neither them nor their access to care is forgotten, Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, told IPS.

Akila Radhakrishnan, president of the Global Justice Centre, said that COVID-19 has been disproportionately affecting women, with higher risks of domestic violence, and difficulty in accessing assistance. 

“All of these risks are amplified in conflict settings, resulting in very real concerns over delayed access to care and legal processes,” she said.  

She said countries must go beyond paper commitments and take concrete steps to end impunity for these crimes, and provide meaningful support to survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). 

“This crime is preventable, we just need the political and moral will to make it so,” she said. 

The day, which is being observed ahead of next month’s debate on conflict-related sexual violence at the Security Council, aims to raise awareness about sexual violence in conflict, which is often used as a tactic of war, terror and political repression.

Patten told IPS that in the last two years, their work on the rights of children born of rape in conflict zones led to a Security Council resolution that highlighted the importance of “survivor-centred approach” in addressing the issue.

Excerpts of the interview with Patten follow. Some of the answers have been paraphrased for clarity.

Inter Press Service (IPS): How many people are annually affected by the issue of sexual violence in conflict? Are there specific countries where the issue is especially rampant? 

Pramila Patten (PP): It is indeed difficult to ascertain the exact prevalence owing to a range of challenges, including underreporting resulting from the intimidation and stigmatisation of survivors, as well as restrictions on access for United Nations staff. Unfortunately, most survivors of CRSV face daunting social and structural reporting barriers that prevent their cases from being counted, much less addressed. It is estimated that for each rape reported in connection with a conflict, 10 to 20 cases go undocumented.

The Secretary-General’s report on CRSV currently focuses on 19 countries for which credible and verifiable information is available. Some examples where CRSV remains rampant are the [Central African Republic] CAR, the [Democratic Republic of the Congo] DRC, South Sudan, Sudan and Somalia. 

IPS: How are these specific regions equipped to handle the coronavirus crisis’ impact on this issue? 

PP: No country is really “equipped” to address CRSV at this time of the pandemic. All conflict countries have just one priority: to tackle the spread of COVID-19. U.N. entities are all supporting countries through this emergency, with their main focus on supporting countries in their COVID-19 preparedness. When it comes to supporting my mandate, they are also facing their own challenges as resources are having to be diverted to the COVID-19 response.

Additionally, in a number of my priority countries, suspension of programmes of different U.N. entities has resulted in essential gender-based violence service providers being unable to deliver services during the period of lockdown. In others, COVID-19 prevention guidelines are having other unintended effects such as the limitations in movement of Women Protection Advisors and human rights monitors or reduced patrols and restricted face-to-face interaction with local communities. 

IPS: What are the most crucial needs that have to be addressed because of COVID-19’s impact on sexual violence in conflict? 

PP: Since I took office, I have been advocating for a survivor-centred approach to CRSV — one that seeks to empower the survivor by prioritising her rights, needs and wishes. Survivors of sexual violence needs a range of comprehensive services: from medical to psychosocial and legal support. Because victims of sexual violence are often rejected by their families and communities, economic support is essential in the rehabilitation process.

However, one of the crucial needs of survivors is unimpeded and timely access to medical services. In particular, after rape, some interventions will only be effective in the hours (e.g. treatment of injuries) or few days (e.g. HIV prophylaxis, emergency contraception) after the assault. 

IPS: How has the pandemic affected addressing the issue of sexual violence in conflict?

PP: Firstly, the pandemic is having an impact on the reporting of cases. In addition to shame, stigma, and fear of repercussions, now cases are going unreported because of quarantines, curfews and other restrictions on movement, including limited access to first responders and civil society organisations such as women’s groups who often serve as first points of call, as well as fear of contracting COVID-19.

Secondly, there is an increased burden on health services due to the pandemic, with resources being prioritised for COVID-19. Contraction of routine health services means barriers to service provision for victims of sexual violence, including reduced supply of essential services, and access to sexual and reproductive health.

Referral pathways have also changed with the closures of shelters and women-friendly spaces in certain settings. In some settings where the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a militarisation of the health system, negative effects for women and children have also been noted. 

Thirdly, we are noting an impact on the rule of law and accountability. With the lockdown on judges, justice workers, prosecutors and lawyers, COVID-19 is severely affecting the functioning and effectiveness of justice systems. The lack of access to justice opens doors to a context favourable to impunity. Combatting impunity for sexual violence is a fundamental aspect of deterring and preventing such crimes. 

IPS: What are the challenges for this support system becoming remote?  

PP: The challenges are mainly in engaging with governments “remotely” in the implementation of the commitments they have undertaken through the signing of Joint Communique with the U.N. on the prevention and response to conflict-related sexual violence. 

On the one hand, their attention and resources are focused on COVID-19. On the other hand, a number of implementation plans that needed to be prepared – for example, in Mali, CAR, DRC, and Sudan, with the technical support of my office, have been stalled on account of closure of borders. A range of technical support which my office was scheduled to provide to a number of countries – from Iraq to Somalia, and which requires in country visits, have also been impacted negatively. 

However, with an advocacy mandate instead of a programmatic mandate, I am not so significantly hampered in providing coherent and strategic leadership. Even remotely, I am able to make progress. 

IPS: What do you hope for this Day to achieve in the future?

PP: This day is an opportunity for me to be the voice of these numerous invisible and voiceless survivors and to make critical recommendations such as the need for: all parties in conflict to immediately cease all forms of sexual violence, sexual and gender-based violence response services to be designated as essential services in order to prevent their de-prioritisation and defunding, and efforts to address sexual and gender-based violence must be integrated into national COVID-19 response plans.

Excerpt:

On the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, United Nations officials as well as government and civil society representatives convened to address sexual violence and stressed the importance of a survivor-centred approach. Pictured here is a graffiti expression in Rio de Janeiro calling for the end to violence against women. Credit: CC By 2.0/Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 20 2019 (IPS)

Sexual violence is still all too common and continues to threaten peace and security worldwide. How can we do better? Put survivors at the centre.

Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, on Jun. 19, United Nations officials as well as government and civil society representatives convened to address sexual violence and stressed the importance of a survivor-centred approach.

“[This] is an opportunity to not only raise awareness of the need to end conflict-related sexual violence, but also to stand in solidarity with and pay homage to the survivors—women, girls, men and boys—who despite the horrors they have endured, show the determination, resolve, and unflinching courage to stand up and speak out against this scourge,” said Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Under-Secretary-General Pramila Patten during a panel discussion at the U.N.

Also in attendance was Amanda Nguyen, CEO and founder of Rise, a non-governmental civil rights organisation, who echoed similar sentiments, stating: “It is the most fundamental, moral responsibility of a nation to listen and to offer justice to the most vulnerable people within it. And it is the most fundamental, moral responsibility of the international community to come together and to do the same.”

“Global leaders must take sexual violence seriously, and must look at all sexual violence survivors as humans with full human dignity,” she added.

The U.N. estimates that approximately 35 percent of women—or 1.3 billion people—have experienced sexual violence. Other studies puts that figure as high as 70 percent along with numerous other men and children.

In April, the Security Council passed Resolution 2647 which recognised the need for a survivor-centred approach to prevent and respond to sexual violence with regards to non-discriminatory services and access to justice.

But how do we employ a survivor-centred approach?

Patten noted the need for survivors to have tailored assistance that meets their specific needs.

“The plight of all survivors should be the moral compass that guides our actions…survivors are not a homogeneous group. Sexual violence has many victims,” she said.

While the story of thousands of Yazidi women who experienced sexual slavery at the hands of the Islamic State (IS) made international headlines, lesser known are the cases of such violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) communities.

In 2015, the U.N. found that attacks against LGBTI individuals took place as a form of “moral cleansing” by armed groups in Iraq.

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights found that 88 percent of LGBTI asylum-seekers and refugees from Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua were subjected to sexual and gender-based violence in their home country.

Such violence in Central America has driven migration to the north—among the first people to reach the United States in the widely reported migrant caravan in November 2018 were 85 LGBTI people. 

However, specific services and attention to LGBTI communities are still sorely lacking.

Nguyen highlighted the need for access to justice and to include survivors in the drafting of legislation.

“Peace is not the absence of visible conflict. In order for there to be true peace, survivors must have access to justice. Their lives are the invisible war zones that corrode human potential and hold back the promise of a just world. Their powerlessness is our shame. This is a peace we can all help deliver,” she said.

“Nothing is more sacred than the universal right to human dignity,” she added.

After learning about the complexities in seeking justice for survivors in the U.S., Nguyen helped pass support for the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights which includes the right to not pay for a rape kit examination—which can cost as much as 2,000 dollars—and the right to not have one’s rape kit destroyed before the statute of limitation expires.

Since then, her organisation Rise has put survivors at the forefront, helping them “pen their own civil rights into existence.”

“Change happens when we decide, and we can decide to uphold the principles of fairness, equality, and justice. We can decide that no one is powerless when we come together. We can decide that no one is invisible,” Nguyen said.

Patten highlighted the transformative nature of a survivor-centred approach, stating it: “is one that gives voice and choice to the survivors, restores their agency, builds their resilience, and enshrines their experience on the historical record….by shifting power dynamics in this way, a survivor-centred approach can also be a profoundly transformative approach that reaffirms the status of the survivor as a holder of rights.”