Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative

Davies asked about the Biden Administration's willingness to support the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative.

Ms. Champion expressed her concern about the UK's decreasing investment in preventing sexual violence in conflict, praising past government initiatives but criticising current cuts to aid budgets and programmes that address women’s rights issues. She highlighted the impacts of the pandemic on women’s rights, noting increased instances of gender-based violence. She also mentioned the importance of survivor-led approaches in addressing these issues and called for a scaling up of quality work on prevention, protection, and responses in conflict-affected states.

Ms Fiona Bruce raised concerns about sexual violence as a weapon of war in Tigray and the importance of promoting freedom of religion or belief. She reported horrific incidents of rape and gang rape, highlighting that these acts are used to humiliate, terrorize, and traumatize populations. She welcomed the UK's work to prevent sexual violence but pressed for updates on support measures, accountability mechanisms, and joint investigations by UN bodies. She also emphasised the commitment to promoting freedom of religion or belief through international platforms such as the G7 and the International Religious Freedom and Belief Alliance.

Ms Hannah Bardell criticised the UK Government's reduction in aid spending, noting it breaks a legally binding commitment and manifesto promise. She highlighted the importance of addressing sexual violence as a weapon of war through initiatives like the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative but noted significant issues such as lack of strategy, focus on learning, and systematic inclusion of survivors. She called for renewed efforts to support global commitments against gender-based violence despite the pandemic.

Congratulates Anthony Mangnall on his speech and leadership, emphasising the importance of discussing sexual violence in conflict. Acknowledges progress made over the past decade but highlights ongoing challenges, including apathy at the international level. Supports calls for a new independent body to collect evidence to increase prosecutions.

Critiques the UK Government's lack of action on conflict-related sexual violence and gender inequality. Points out that despite previous commitments, current policies are underfunded and lacking strategic direction. Highlights underreporting during crises and the pandemic. Calls for a commitment of 1% of aid budget to challenge violence against women and girls abroad.

Sexual violence is a weapon of war used to exert power, humiliate and degrade people. It has been used in ethnic conflicts as part of military strategy for centuries but only recently have we begun to understand its prevalence. We need to treat it as a serious crime globally and prosecute accordingly. The UK must continue to show leadership on this issue, particularly during the G7 presidency.

The use of sexual violence in conflict is unacceptable. There has been progress since the tragedy of Darfur and Srebrenica, but we need to focus on what actions are next for preventing this abuse. The Government should provide more specifics about how they will drive forward this agenda. An international convention or body could help collect evidence against perpetrators and prevent future crimes.

Acknowledged the contributions of previous speakers, thanked Maria Miller for being brief, and noted that time management is going well.

Calls for increased support to tackle conflict-related sexual violence, citing underfunding and lack of sustained effort from the UK Government. Emphasises the importance of a long-term strategy rather than short-term campaigns. Raises concerns about declining budgets and deployments of the preventing sexual violence in conflict initiative team. Highlights specific instances of sexual violence in Ethiopia and calls for immediate action. Criticises recent cuts to aid programmes, particularly those affecting Syria and Iraq, arguing that these decisions increase the risk of bloodshed, conflict, and sexual violence.

Mr. Shannon expressed concern over the prevalence of sexual violence in conflict areas, highlighting that it is often underreported and underfunded by the UK government. He cited Save the Children's estimates that 72 million children—one in six—are at risk of sexual violence. Mr. Shannon urged the Minister to take action beyond raising awareness, emphasising the need for better support and healthcare for victims. He also noted a significant reduction in funding from £20 million in 2014-15 to £2.6 million in the last year. Mr. Shannon called on the Government to increase accountability for perpetrators of sexual violence and work more closely with NGOs.

Ms. Champion acknowledged the reported cases as likely underestimating the actual number of incidents, given that only about 15% of women report such cases in the UK. She agreed with Mr. Shannon's assessment and echoed his call for action beyond awareness-raising.

The speaker expressed deep revulsion towards the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and noted its prevalence in various conflicts around the world. He criticised the government's lack of action on this issue despite initial leadership shown by the UK. O'Hara urged for greater justice, legal consequences, and support for survivors including mental health care to end stigma associated with such crimes. Highlighting cases from Iraq and other regions, he cited Nadia Murad’s story as an example of the severe impact on Yazidi women and called for international legislation to prosecute sexual violence. He also mentioned a UN report that highlighted inadequate justice and support provided to victims in Bosnia 25 years after the conflict.

The hon. Yasmin Qureshi congratulated the hon. Member for Totnes on obtaining a timely debate, highlighting that the UN International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict was approaching. She emphasised that nine years ago there was a global summit to end sexual violence in conflict, which resulted in the creation of the United Kingdom’s PSVI initiative aimed at bringing together the international community to address this issue. However, Ms Qureshi criticised the Government for not doing enough since then; Lord Hague had stated two weeks prior that the UK government has given lower priority to PSVI, with its funding dropping by 87% in seven years and staffing falling from 34 members to three. She further pointed out that structural gender inequality underpins sexual violence and called on the Government to scale up their response to gender-based violence, including prevention and protection services in conflict states, and commit more funds to organisations like UNFPA.

Acknowledges contributions from Anthony Mangnall and Sarah Champion. Pays tribute to Lord Hague, Baroness Helic, Angelina Jolie, Chloe Dalton, and Lord Ahmad for their work on preventing sexual violence in conflict. Discusses the UK's significant role since 2012, including £48 million funding and training over 17,000 police and military personnel globally. Mentions the launch of the Murad code and a declaration by faith leaders focusing on children born from such conflicts. Expresses scepticism about an international investigatory body due to obstacles in implementation but confirms resources for Tigray deployment.

Thanks the Minister for his response and highlights the severity of the issue, noting that other organisations have not achieved meaningful prosecutions. Urges the UK to take leadership in creating new international bodies that can enforce justice against perpetrators globally. Emphasises the importance of a survivor-led approach as reflected in the Murad code but argues for its housing in an international organisation committed to bringing justice.