Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Sexual Violence in Conflict

Tuesday 26 April 2022 · 7 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 5 Not answered 0

Key points

  • UK is campaigning to treat sexual violence in conflict as a red line similar to chemical weapons.
  • Murad code is being used to set global standards for evidence collection on sexual violence.
  • Government is working on a new convention to put sexual violence on par with chemical weapons use.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Nickie Aiken
Ukraine Foreign Affairs
Context

The use of rape as a weapon of war in conflicts, particularly the reports from Ukraine and other regions.

Question

What diplomatic steps her Department is taking to help ensure sexual violence is not used as a weapon of war. The question arises due to disturbing reports of widespread sexual violence by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

The UK is determined to tackle sexual violence in conflict, campaigning for it to be treated as a red line on par with chemical weapons. The Murad code is a vital step towards ensuring justice and evidence collection for survivors. We condemn the use of rape as a weapon of war.

Answered
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Q2 Alexander Stafford
Foreign Affairs Women & Equalities
Context

Appalling reports of sexual violence by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, highlighted in the context of the UN Secretary-General meeting Mr Putin.

Question

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the Murad code is a vital step to ensuring justice for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and that we must send a strong message to Russia about rape as a weapon of war?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The UK leads in collecting evidence of such crimes under our presidency of the UN Security Council, launching the Murad code to set global standards for effective evidence-gathering on sexual violence.

Answered
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Q3 Nickie Aiken
Foreign Affairs
Context

Testimony from Ukraine about rape and the upcoming meeting between the UN Secretary-General and Mr Putin.

Question

Does my right hon. Friend agree that as the UN charter mandate is to maintain international peace and security, perhaps it is time for the international community to question whether Russia should remain a permanent member of the Security Council?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

My hon. Friend is right about the appalling reports and our concerns about an international security architecture that has Russia as one of the permanent members, where it uses its veto for barbarism. We are working more closely with allies such as G7 and NATO.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific action or plan to question Russia's status in the UN Security Council was not provided

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Q4 Sarah Champion Lab Rotherham
Foreign Affairs
Context

Commitment to the Murad code and ongoing sexual violence in various conflict zones.

Question

What plans does the Foreign Secretary have to make tackling sexual violence a part of a broader cross-Government atrocity prevention programme?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

We are working on the idea of a new convention to put sexual violence on par with chemical weapons, restoring our budget for women and girls, including work on preventing sexual violence. We will host an international conference on preventing sexual violence in conflict later this year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific details or timeline of the broader cross-Government atrocity prevention programme were not provided

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Q5 Anna McMorrin Lab Cardiff North
Foreign Affairs Women & Equalities
Context

Heartbreaking stories of children witnessing their mothers being raped in Ukraine, along with reports from other conflict zones.

Question

What are the Government doing not only to stop this being used as a weapon of war but to challenge the way that women are used and exploited in conflicts across the world?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

We work on collecting evidence through bodies like the Metropolitan police and funding the International Criminal Court for this purpose. We aim for new international agreement making the use of sexual violence in war a red line, similar to chemical weapons use.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific details or timeline on challenging exploitation beyond conflicts were not provided

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Q6 Thomas Tugendhat Con Tonbridge
Women & Equalities
Context

Rape in war zones and forced genital mutilation in ordinary life.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend also talk about sexual violence not in conflict? There is forced genital mutilation of young women and girls around the world, and an extraordinary level of violence in ordinary life outside conflict.

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

Restoring the women and girls budget with focuses on girls' education, ending female genital mutilation, preventing sexual violence both in and beyond conflict. It is crucial for societies if women do not have basic security to achieve their full potential.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions or timeline addressing forced genital mutilation were not provided

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Q7 Andrew Gwynne Ind Gorton and Denton
Justice & Courts Ukraine Women & Equalities
Context

Sexual violence during conflict is considered a crime against humanity. The UK government aims to establish a convention that equates the use of such violence with chemical weapons.

Question

Sexual violence and rape are abhorrent anyway, but their use in conflict is a crime against humanity. I very much welcome what the Secretary of State has said about trying to get a convention in place that puts their use on the same level as the use of chemical weapons. On the women and children who are victims now, what work is she doing with our allies to ensure that the perpetrators of these vile crimes are brought to account, and that authorities go after the generals in charge of those soldiers, because these are war crimes?

Answer from Elizabeth Truss

They are war crimes. We are collecting evidence, and we have British people working with the Ukrainian Government in Ukraine collecting that evidence. We are working with the International Criminal Court. If ICC mechanisms are not enough, we will find other ways of getting to the perpetrators—not just those who committed the crimes, but also those who ordered them. Through the aid budget allocated to Ukraine, we are helping victims and survivors of sexual violence, allocating money to local organisations to assist those traumatised by rape and sexual abuse in conflict.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific mechanisms or actions for holding generals accountable were not detailed.

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