Statement by H.E. Ambassador Darja Bavdaž Kuret, Ambassador at large for Women, Peace and Security, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, at UNSC annual open debate on conflict-related sexual violence 

Thank you Mr. President,

I wish to thank the Presidency for convening this critical open debate.

Allow me to express our gratitude and support to Special Representative Pramila Patten for her work and for her briefing today as well as to Ms. Ikhlass Ahmed for briefing us and telling us how it looks on the ground. Thank you so much.

Slovenia is alarmed by the findings of the latest Secretary-General report. Women and girls remain disproportionately affected, comprising more than 90 % of the victims, while most of the reported incidents against men and boys occurred in detention. We are particularly concerned about the violations in DRC, Haiti, Myanmar, Sudan, Ukraine, Israel and Palestine.

We condemn in the strongest terms the use of any form of sexual violence as a tactic of war, torture, terrorism, and political repression. Such violence is man-made and therefore fully preventable. Its prevention requires addressing the root causes, including extremism, patriarchy and other harmful social norms and attitudes, enabling or contributing to gender inequality, and impunity.

In this respect, allow me to underline the following.

Firstly, full realization of women’s rights and gender equality is fundamental for achieving lasting peace and security. We must move beyond statements of concern to genuine and accountable implementation of equal rights and fundamental freedoms for women and girls. This requires ensuring full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women in all contexts and at all levels of decision-making, including any peace processes or prevention efforts. Their knowledge, leadership and experiences are also indispensable for the development of survivor-centred and gender-responsive policies and services, including on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Secondly, we call for full respect of international law and ensuring accountability. Conflict-related sexual violence is a grave violation of international humanitarian law, often constituting war crimes, crimes against humanity or acts of genocide. To achieve justice for survivors, it is essential to ensure quality, accessible and non-discriminatory support services, including safe reporting mechanisms, medical and psychological care, legal assistance, access to justice, and reparations. Accountability is essential to more sustainable peace.

Finally, we must support those on the frontlines. The protection of health care infrastructure, medical personnel and humanitarian actors from all forms of attacks is imperative and must be upheld. Additionally, local women-led and women’s rights organizations are not merely service providers, they are essential peacebuilders. Slovenia condemns all attacks, intimidation, and reprisals against women human rights defenders and peacebuilders. We call for a zero-tolerance approach to such violence.

Mr. President,

Behind every victim or survivor of sexual and gender-based violence is a person whose body and future has been weaponized. These acts are not random occurrences, but calculated strategies, designed to humiliate, dehumanize and subjugate.  The numbers reflected in the Secretary-General report reflect only the tip of an iceberg and as long as survivors remain silenced by fear, stigma and lack of support, it will be impossible to understand the true scale of impact of conflict-related sexual violence. The horror of such violence extends to children born out of these attacks, who often face societal rejection.

The Security Council’s agenda on conflict-related sexual violence is both an acknowledgment of survivors’ suffering and a message that they are not invisible, that their voices are not ignored, and that justice is not out of reach. At a time of global regression in women’s rights and international norms, we must demonstrate that this promise still holds weight.

All of these have to go hand in hand with accountability. The failure to hold perpetrators accountable only perpetuates a cycle of impunity, sending a message that such atrocities are acceptable tools of warfare. This is vicious cycle that must be broken. That can only be done by bringing every responsible person to account. Ultimately, this form of violence represents a fundamental violation of human rights.

Slovenia will continue to contribute to these collective efforts. We reaffirm our strong support for the mandate of the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict, as well as the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law, and the UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict, including through our contribution to Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Prevention Multi-Partner Trust Fund.

Mr. President,

Allow me at the end to bring a message from the recent conference in Sarajevo organized together by UN Women and authorities of Bosnia and Hercegovina. Participants called for redefinition of justice, not just in terms of verdicts and trials, but in terms of recognition, reparation and healing. The message of survivors was that we must always stand with those whose voices are too often silenced and never powerless. Let me echo the word of one of the survivors: “Women are not victims; they are witnesses and masters of our survival.”

I thank you.

Recent Statements