Rape and other grave sexual violence against children

The rape and sexual violation of children and women is increasingly a characteristic of conflict. Such violence is often perpetrated against boys and girls in a rule of law vacuum that is a consequence of conflict and is exacerbated by the ensuing culture of impunity. In some instances sexual violence has been used as a premeditated tactic of war designed to humiliate or exterminate a population or to force displacement.

Reports of high incidence rates of rape and sexual violence against children were received from Burundi, Chad, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Somalia and the Sudan.

For children especially, the physical and mental consequences are devastating. Such violations may also take the form of sexual slavery, forced prostitution and marriage or sexual mutilation. The long-term health consequences for the victims include sexually transmitted infection such as HIV/AIDS, fistula, early pregnancy and debilitating psychological trauma.

Although cases of sexual violence against boys are sometimes reported, insufficient attention is paid to this particular dimension, and such violations remain largely undocumented. Some research indicates that boys are especially vulnerable to sexual violence during military operations in civilian areas or during military conscription or abduction into paramilitary forces.

Another aspect that tends to be underestimated is the trauma boys face as perpetrators or witnesses of sexual violence. They may be forced to commit rapes either directly by their commander or indirectly through peer pressure.

There is universal consensus that rape and sexual violence against children in armed conflicts are grave crimes. It is therefore critical that efforts be strengthened towards ending impunity and ensuring access to justice, accountability and remedies for cases of such crimes against children. International humanitarian and human rights law provides that children affected by armed conflict are entitled to special respect, protection and care, including against all forms of sexual violence and exploitation. Rape and other forms of sexual violence also constitute a war crime or a crime against humanity if committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Emphasis must be placed on fighting impunity for rape and other sexual violence through rigorous and systematic investigation and prosecution of such crimes at the national level and an increased focus on this problem by international justice mechanisms. A major advance in this regard is the adoption of resolution 1882 in 2009 with which the Council designated rape and other sexual violence, as critical priorities and has called on parties to armed conflict to prepare and implement action plans to address these violations.

The office of the Special Representative has initiated consultations with relevant United Nations agencies and departments to devise a strategy to strengthen data collection and reporting on sexual violence within the framework of Security Council resolutions 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009), 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009) which will provide a better platform for the identification of incidents, victims and perpetrators through a common set of indicators, and to enable a better analysis of trends on sexual violence against children.