Women from a camp for displaced people in Kitchanga, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, listen to Margot Wallstrom, the UN’s special representative on sexual violence, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, October 3, 2010.

Women from a camp for displaced people in Kitchanga, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, listen to Margot Wallstrom, the UN’s special representative on sexual violence, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, October 3, 2010.
Photo Credit: Katrina Manson

Canada condemns ‘persistent and widespread’ use of sexual violence in wars

As the world marks the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict today, Canada is adding its voice to a growing chorus of condemnation of the “persistent and widespread” use of sexual violence in conflict situations, especially as a tactic of war.

“Such behaviour is a flagrant and unacceptable violation of international humanitarian law and human rights,” Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said in a joint statement.

“As a country that believes strongly in the defence of human rights everywhere in the world, Canada is supporting efforts to investigate sexual violence so those who engage in such conduct, such as the terrorist group Daesh, are brought to justice,” they added using to the Arabic acronym for the so-called Islamic State.

‘Threat to humanity’s collective peace and security’
Yazidi sisters, who escaped from captivity by Islamic State (IS) militants, sit in a tent at Sharya refugee camp on the outskirts of Duhok province July 3, 2015. The sisters were among one hundred women, men and children taken by IS as prisoners after the militants attacked their village of Tal Ezayr in the northern Iraqi province of Mosul close to Syrian border in 2014.
Yazidi sisters, who escaped from captivity by Islamic State (IS) militants, sit in a tent at Sharya refugee camp on the outskirts of Duhok province July 3, 2015. The sisters were among one hundred women, men and children taken by IS as prisoners after the militants attacked their village of Tal Ezayr in the northern Iraqi province of Mosul close to Syrian border in 2014. © STRINGER Iraq / Reuters

While women are the most victimized, men and boys are increasingly becoming victims of conflict-related sexual violence, according to the United Nations.

In his message for the International Day, UN Secretary General António Guterres paid tribute to the women, girls, men and boys who have suffered the atrocity of sexual violence in conflict, and reaffirmed the “global commitment to eliminate this scourge.”

“Rape and sexual violence in conflict are tactics of terrorism and war, used strategically to humiliate, degrade and destroy, and often to pursue a campaign of ethnic cleansing,” Guterres said.

“They should never be downplayed as war’s inevitable by-product. Sexual violence is a threat to every individual’s right to a life of dignity, and to humanity’s collective peace and security.”

Cornerstone of Canadian policy
Minister of International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau launches Canada’s new Feminist International Assistance Policy during an event in Ottawa, Friday June 9, 2017.
Minister of International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau launches Canada’s new Feminist International Assistance Policy during an event in Ottawa, Friday June 9, 2017. © PC/Adrian Wyld

Earlier in June, the Liberal government unveiled its foreign, defence and development policies, which make the defence and promotion of women’s and girls’ rights one the key cornerstones of Canada’s international posture.

“Recognizing that conflict, natural disasters and humanitarian crises affect everyone differently, the Canadian Armed Forces is taking steps to account for the security needs of populations at risk, including addressing the risks of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, by integrating gender perspectives into its plans and operations,” Sajjan said in a statement.

“Today, we also underscore that Canada condemns all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse. Through its recently announced Feminist International Assistance Policy, Canada will help prevent and respond to sexual violence in conflict zones and enforce its zero-tolerance policy for abuses perpetrated by staff and peacekeepers.”

Offering victims a chance to rebuild their lives
A displaced woman and children from the minority Yazidi sect, who were kidnapped by Islamic State militants of Tal Afar but managed to escape, are seen at a house in Duhok province, northern Iraq, November 24, 2016.
A displaced woman and children from the minority Yazidi sect, who were kidnapped by Islamic State militants of Tal Afar but managed to escape, are seen at a house in Duhok province, northern Iraq, November 24, 2016. © Ari Jalal / Reuters

The Trudeau government has also committed to resettling some 1,200 survivors of Islamic State atrocities to Canada this year, including Yazidi women and children and their families.

Thousands of women, girls and boys from the ethnic and religious Yazidi minority were abducted and forced into sexual slavery by Islamic State militants who overran Yazidi areas in northern Iraq in 2014.

Many of them have been forced to live in shame, shunned by their own families and communities, in squalid camps for internally displaced people in northern Iraq, Syria and Turkey.

“On International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, Canada wants all survivors of such violence to know that any shame associated with the despicable mistreatment they have suffered rests not with them but squarely with their abusers,” the ministers said. “We pledge our full support to those whose rights have been violated and are focused on putting gender and women back at the centre of peacebuilding efforts.”

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