By Linus Aleke
The global outrage and condemnation of sexual harassment, and savagery against women, especially in conflict zones, is not out of place, bearing in mind the fact that such violent crime negates both human norms, societal etiquette, municipal, national, and international legal instruments, which regulate human conduct.

It is only in animal kingdoms, that consent is not sought by both parties before sexual intercourse could take place. Rape, and other related sexual assault, in peace or conflict time, is alien to animals in their habitat.

But in human society, it is not the same scenario with animal kingdoms, as there are laws that regulate the conduct of man. Humanity had since moved away from the state of nature where life was “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short,” apologies to Thomas Hobbes.

Unfortunately, despite the presence of laws and human traditions as well as customs that criminalize sexual violence against women, some conjugal rascals, still, close their eyes to the law and turn women and girls into the object of sex to satisfy their animalistic desires and sadistic instincts.

Regrettably, government forces are also, involved in this shameless act against women, especially in war or conflict environments.

The global statistics on this ugly phenomenon are not just growing astronomically but frightening. This is why all nations must come together to find a lasting solution to gender-based sexual torture. Graciously, the UK is taking the lead in this regard.

While observing the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict on 19 June 2022, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in Iraq, posited that for every woman who comes forward to report sexual violence amid a conflict, it is estimated that a further 10 to 20 cases go undocumented and unaddressed.

That means that, as a conservative estimate, for the 3,293 UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2021, an increase of 800 from the previous year, an additional 32,930 to 65,860 went unreported.

Just last month, a Ukrainian women right’s advocate, jurist, and attorney, Ms Hrystyna Kit, said, the Russian invasion erodes the security of Ukrainians across the country.

The risk to women and girls, she added is two-fold.

According to her, “There’s no doubt that no one feels safe because of Russia’s war against Ukraine. And women and girls have become even less protected from gender-based violence.

Cases of conflict-related sexual violence in particular are on the rise. Rape, usually, gang rape, sexual torture, forced nudity … and other forms of abuse have been documented by journalists, human rights organizations and law enforcement agencies”

Hrystyna said the true scale of this violence is not yet known, adding that what is clear is that its impacts will be lasting.

“We will have to work with the consequences of conflict-related sexual violence for many years to come,” she further lamented.

This view which was culled from an article titled, “Pushing forward: Ending conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine,” and published on the UN Women website gives credence to news reports on sexual violence against Ukrainian women by Russian soldiers.

Validating the above view, CNN in a piece titled, “In newly liberated villages, Ukrainian investigators uncover horrific claims of Russian sexual violence,” averred that Russia has used sexual violence as a weapon of war.

Quoting United Nations, the online publication disclosed that Russia is using sexual violence as a deliberate military strategy in its conquest of Ukraine.

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But miffed by this ugly development, the United Kingdom authority on November 28 announced new support to prevent sexual violence in conflict, as it hosted an international conference in London.

The Foreign Secretary, Mr James Cleverly, also launched a new three-year strategy, which put survivors at the centre of tackling this abhorrent crime around the world.

Participants at the conference included Nadia Murad, a survivor of sexual violence in conflict, her fellow Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr Denis Mukwege, and the Countess of Wessex.

In a statement signed by Senior Communications & Public Diplomacy Officer, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, British High Commission, Abuja, Atinuke Akande-Alegbe, the Foreign Secretary added that Angelina Jolie delivered a video message at the conference.

Cleverly brought representatives from around 70 countries together to drive forward urgent action to tackle the scourge of sexual violence in conflict areas, including in Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Colombia.

The British authorities said new evidence shows that an estimated 20 to 30 per cent of women and girls in conflict-affected settings experience sexual violence.

The two-day conference in London last week (28-29 November), he said, put survivors of the abhorrent crime at the centre of the global response.

Nadia Murad and Dr Denis Mukwege, who won a joint Nobel Peace Prize for their work in tackling sexual violence, were in attendance alongside the Countess of Wessex and International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan.

The statement added that other survivors, government ministers, and representatives of NGOs shared what they have learnt and agreed on a united response to prevent atrocities from taking place in the future.

The UK Embassy Spokesperson noted that the just concluded conference marked 10 years of the UK Government’s consistent advocacy landmark, on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI).

The UK government also pledged to support the new initiative with no fewer than £12.5 million in new funding.

The UK said the new initiative was developed with survivors, experts in the field, parliamentarians, academics, and NGOs, strategy focuses on tackling these crimes in seven key countries: Ukraine, Bosnia, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, and South Sudan.

Addressing the conference, Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, said, the threat of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war should invoke immediate international condemnation, and swift action to stop those attacks before they start.

He said, “So today, we stand in solidarity, to support survivors and to bring justice. But also to send an unequivocal message to those who order, allow or perpetrate sexual violence: we will not tolerate it and we will push for perpetrators to be prosecuted”.

The Foreign Secretary added that a new partnership between the UK Government and the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, which could use virtual reality technology to make survivors’ experience in court less traumatic has been put in place.

“A new Accountability Commission and Task Force (ACT), for Survivors initiative, developed by the UK to increase successful prosecutions and strengthen other forms of justice. It will provide support for countries with high levels of sexual violence in conflict, to strengthen their national justice systems so they are fit for purpose. This could include mentoring prosecutors, setting up rapid response mechanisms in crises, and training and support from the UN Team of Experts.

“A new report tagged ‘What Works to Prevent Violence’ lays out the scale of the issue and puts forward methods, based on evidence, to prevent them. The first phase of the UK’s ‘What Works to Prevent Violence’ programme has shown reductions in violence of around 50%, even in the most challenging circumstances.

“Work to translate commitments into action to promote the rights and well-being of children born as a result of conflict-related sexual violence. This could include improving national laws, policies, and practices,” he said.

The Foreign Secretary added, “The UK has been at the vanguard of efforts to combat conflict-related sexual violence for the past decade, ever since former Foreign Secretary William Hague and Angelina Jolie jointly launched PSVI in 2012.

“Angelina Jolie delivered a video message at the conference, and Lord Hague spoke in person on the 29th. Since then, the UK has supported nearly 100 projects across 29 countries, from safe shelters in Bosnia, to judicial support in Iraq and Colombia, and training for peacekeepers in East Africa.

“The current situation in Ukraine, as well as recent events in Afghanistan and Ethiopia, demonstrate that work to combat conflict-related sexual violence is still as important as ever”.

To assist in tackling the alleged sexual abuse by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, the Foreign Secretary announced on a visit to Ukraine, last week, an additional £3.45m towards projects in the country and the wider region, much of which will go towards addressing sexual and reproductive health.

In a message to the conference Angelina Jolie said: “When human beings are physically assaulted in this way, and some countries for decades, there has to be a decisive global response. When there isn’t, it sends a message to both the victim and the perpetrator that we don’t truly regard this as a significant crime that needs to be punished and prevented. So this conference should in my view, take a hard look at what has succeeded and what has not.”

The Medical Director of Panzi Hospital and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Dr. Mukwege, said, “The PSVI Conference is organised so that all of us attending in London can listen to survivors’ voices. This is not the first conference where survivors have spoken up demanding justice, but I hope it will be one of the last – we need to attend as we count down to end wartime sexual violence.

“We are all here today because of survivors. All of them attending this conference represent thousands of others awaiting care, justice, and reparations. Very few survivors have received the holistic care, including justice that they deserve. As the survivors are sharing their recommendations, requests, and opinions, I ask everyone not only to listen to them but also pledge a commitment to act and support their demands.”

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad opined: It’s time to use every tool, such as sanctions, international trials, and universal jurisdiction to show that sexual violence in conflict will not be tolerated.

Murad said, “We must make state and non-state actors think twice about the consequences of these crimes. Ending the status quo of impunity is essential for preventing people around the world from being subjected to experiences like mine”.

According to a trainer at the UNDP-supported Police Female Training Centre in Baghdad, Captain Ruaa Nasaif Jasem, empowering women to speak out against violence is key to breaking down negative social norms, would suffice.