Remarks at the launch of the International Protocol
12 Jun 2014 11:38 AM
Remarks from the Foreign
Secretary and Special Envoy Angelina Jolie at the launch of the International
Protocol.
Remarks from Foreign Secretary
William Hague
Ladies and Gentleman, good
afternoon and welcome to the launch of the International Protocol on the
Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict, something I
believe will be an extremely important document in the world.
This Protocol is the first of
its kind, and we hope it will play a vital role in shattering the culture of
impunity for sexual violence in conflict.
This impunity is a major factor
in why these crimes continue.
Up to 50,000 women were victims
of sexual violence during the war in Bosnia, but only just over sixty people
have been successfully prosecuted for it.
From Central African Republic to
Sudan to Syria, untold thousands of rapes have gone entirely
unpunished.
We know that one of the primary
reasons for the lack of prosecutions for sexual violence in conflict is the
difficulty of gathering evidence that can stand up in court, and the trauma and
the stigma faced by survivors in the process.
This Protocol is designed to
overcome those fundamental barriers.
And we are determined to ensure
that prosecutors, police forces, peacekeepers and civil society on the front
line in this struggle know how best to document and investigate sexual violence
in conflict so that perpetrators can be successfully
prosecuted.
This Protocol sets out in detail
how to interview survivors and witnesses, how to secure physical evidence, how
to work with medics and lawyers so that survivors can be confident that the
facts are on their side.
It shows how to protect
survivors and to support them at every stage so that they don’t suffer
more trauma or risk being attacked for courageously taking a
stand.
It has been written to help all
those who might be involved in documenting and investigating sexual violence in
conflict, from community activists to heads of police to international
organisations who work in conflict-affected areas.
It contains the distilled wisdom
of more than 200 renowned experts, investigators, survivors and organisations,
representing years of accumulated experience and expertise.
We want it to be a reference
point, setting standards for governments, for international organisations and
civil society across the world.
If all countries applied these
standards then it will greatly strengthen prosecutions for rape in conflict and
help to secure a dramatic increase in successful convictions.
That is why as the United
Kingdom our focus will be on the implementation of this Protocol. We will be
translating it into multiple languages, we will be disseminating it worldwide
through our huge diplomatic network, and in partnership with international
institutions we will be supporting those organisations and activists putting it
to use where it is needed most, in places affected by conflict and
instability.
We will ask all the governments
and organisations represented at this Summit to join this effort – to
consider how they can use it in their countries, in their training for police
or peacekeepers, in their work with civil society and in development programmes
overseas, and we will do everything we can across the world to support
them.
Of course, the strongest
evidence in the world will not bring justice if prosecutors are not prepared to
prosecute, or if police allow perpetrators to walk free.
The courage of survivors and
activists must now be matched by the determination of
governments.
That is why this Summit aims to
galvanise the international community into action, and it’s why the
United Kingdom will do its utmost to ensure the momentum that we build here is
harnessed and accelerated in the future.
Ultimately, however, it is the
patient and tireless efforts of people on the ground in conflict-affected
states that will tip the balance against impunity. It is their investigations
that will bring perpetrators to justice one by one and send the message that
warzone sexual violence will not go unpunished. It is their work that will
deter armed men from ordering or committing rape in future
wars.
So this Protocol is for them, it
is for many of you in this room, and I hope it will be a crucial support to all
of you across the world.
Remarks from the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees Special Envoy Angelina Jolie
I have met survivors of warzone
rape around the world.
And almost without exception
they ask for one thing – justice:
The right to be accepted, not
shunned, by society.
The right to long-term economic
and health support.
And above all, the right to see
their attackers held accountable in a court of law - because warzone rape is
not a lesser crime, it is a crime against humanity.
Today, these rights are denied
to millions of survivors around the world.
The number of convictions for
warzone sexual rape is pitifully small.
People who rape innocent women,
men and children during conflict assume that they will simply get away with it,
because they have.
The few cases that are brought
forward are often thrown out for lack of evidence, despite the testimonies from
brave survivors.
This is an intolerable
situation.
That is why, at the heart of
this campaign, we are calling for an end to impunity:
Perpetrators have to know that
even during conflict, evidence is being collected that will be used against
them.
They have to know that when
peace agreements are made, there will be no amnesty for rape and that if they
commit these crimes, they will bear the stigma and punishment – no matter
how long it takes.
We all know how hard it is to
secure convictions for rape even in stable democratic
countries.
So we have to work even harder
to make justice possible in fragile countries.
And that is the purpose of this
Protocol.
It is an essential document, and
I am so grateful to the hundreds of experts and survivors who have played their
part in drafting it.
The Foreign Secretary and I are
determined to work hard to ensure that it is implemented.
And we will be asking all the
governments coming to the Summit tomorrow to adopt the Protocol and back it
fully.
As a part of the next stage of
our campaign, we will follow-up on how it’s implemented and what more
still needs to be done.
I hope that by all of us working
together, we can support survivors for the long but not impossible road to
justice and finally, really, truly end impunity.
Thank you very
much.
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