“Every new wave of war brings with it human tragedy, with new waves of the first war, the silent and the least silent,” he said.
The Commission’s meeting to review the implementation of its resolutions on conflict-related sexual violence was convened by the United Kingdom, which held the rotating presidency this month.
The rest of the meeting is in the DRC
Ms Patten presented data from her latest report, published last month, which documented 2,455 UN-confirmed cases of wartime rape committed during 2022. Women and girls accounted for 94 per cent, with six percent to men and boys.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is also the country with the highest number of cases, 701. The UN expert visited the country in June and was horrified by the testimony of women and girls, many of whom have recently been raped.
“So many of them stress the daily risk of sexual violence while doing life’s work around the camps, like looking for food, collecting wood or water. “Imagine facing the reality each day that you might be raped, yet you have no choice,” he said.
Visit Ukraine
Ms. Patten also made her first field visit to Ukraine last year. He was struck by both the incidence of sexual violence in conflict zones and the impoverishment of women and children forced to flee to countries such as Poland and Moldova.
“I witnessed first-hand the incredible toll on women, children and the elderly, with their vulnerability to unscrupulous people and criminal networks for whom the massive and unpredictable movement of people is not a disaster but an opportunity for trafficking and exploitation sex,” he said.
Ignorance goes unpunished
Annual Report Ms. Patten also details the horrors that have occurred in other countries, such as Haiti, Ethiopia and Iraq. Serious allegations of sexual violence related to the conflict in Sudan have also emerged since the conflict erupted in April.
The report also clearly shows the detrimental effects of neglect, he said. About 50 organizations, mostly non-state actors, were listed for systematically committing sexual violence. More than 70 percent have appeared on the list for five years or more.
“The truth is that until we raise the price and effective consequences for committing, ordering or condoning sexual violence, we will not let the flood of such crimes be,” he said.
Solve and issue
Ms. Patten called for greater political will and resources. He said there is more knowledge today about what causes sexual violence, who the perpetrators are, and the response that survivors need.
It is important that prevention efforts are based on this improved knowledge, he said, which is at the heart of the strategy launched by his office last September.
He advised that the international community must ensure the implementation of Security Council resolutions while adapting actions to contemporary conflicts and international challenges, such as cyber threats and climate-related insecurity.
“The time is now to double down on the institutional and accountability mechanisms put in place by successful decisions,” he said. “We must act quickly, and with firm determination, to save future generations from this epidemic.”
