The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has called on the global community to vastly scale up action and funding in order to address the rising cases of gender-based violence (GBV) in crisis settings.
Development Diaries reports that the UNFPA Executive Director, Natalia Kanem, made this known in a press release to commemorate the 2023 International Day of Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict.
According to UNFPA, as armed conflicts rage in Africa and other areas in the world so does the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
Kanem said, ‘Conflict is on the rise. We see the images everywhere. Online and in the news. Sometimes even in our own communities.
‘Soldiers with guns run in front of shattered buildings, along streets strewn with debris and the remains of human lives.
‘Rarely seen, however, is one of the most horrific forms of violence in conflict – that perpetrated on the bodies of women and girls’.
UNFPA noted that those who survive wartime sexual violence – including rape, forced marriage and sexual slavery – are left with lasting physical and emotional scars, robbed of health, dignity, peace, and justice.
It further explained that they are often silenced and shamed, as social taboos, shattered health systems, insecurity and fear prevent them from seeking or accessing support, and their participation in social, political and economic life is thwarted; while the perpetrators often remain free.
‘Every person has a human right to life, liberty and security of person. Yet amid conflict, the collapse of judicial and health systems raises the risk that sexual violence becomes “normalized” and goes unpunished’, the statement read.
‘The health and protection of women and girls and other marginalised people must be prioritised’.
It noted that new and prolonged conflicts have contributed to a sharp rise in the number of people in need of humanitarian aid, with more than 347 million people in need of assistance today, up from 168 million two years ago.
‘Sexual violence destroys lives and violates human rights. It must not be ‘normalized’ as something that is destined to happen, something that cannot be stopped’, Kanem said.
It is understood that only five percent of the funds required to prevent and address GBV in crisis settings in 2023 has been received.
Photo source: UNFPA
