Greater Global Response Needed To Fight Sexual Violence in War Zones, UNFPA Director Says

[Jun 23, 2006]

The global response to fighting rape and other sexual violence -- which can lead to HIV infection -- in war zones has been "grossly inadequate" in comparison to the scale of the problem, U.N. Population Fund Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obiad said on Wednesday at the opening of a three-day conference on the issue, Reuters reports (Brunnstrom, Reuters, 6/21). More than 250 participants from 30 countries will take part in the International Symposium on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond in Brussels, Belgium, organized by UNFPA in partnership with the European Commission and the Belgian government (UN News Service, 6/21). "We need political will and leadership and certainly sustained action," Obiad said, adding, "Our current inability to protect the health of women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations represents a human rights failure of global proportions" (Reuters, 6/21). Sexual violence also has been linked to donor funding, according to BBC News. For example, sexual violence cases in Gaza and the West Bank have increased "significantly" since the European Union and the U.S. cut funding in the region, BBC News reports (BBC News, 6/22). U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in a statement urged greater funding to address the issue and said it is a "human rights problem, a global health problem and an impediment to peace" (Reuters, 6/21).