Joining forces to combat sexual violence: the Brussels Call to Action.

• Author: Obaid, Thoraya Ahmed

FOR THREE DAYS IN JUNE 2006, more than 250 dedicated women and men from some 30 countries came together at a historic symposium at Palais d'Egmont in Brussels to share experiences, strategies and a renewed commitment to end the scourge of sexual violence in countries torn apart by war.

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Conflict-related sexual violence is as old as war itself. In many conflicts, the bodies of women and girls become battlegrounds, with rape used as a weapon of war to humiliate, dominate or disrupt social ties in communities under attack. Women and girls, and sometimes men and boys, are also vulnerable to sexual assault and exploitation during flight, in refugee settlements and even in post-conflict situations, where continued sexual violence can perpetuate a cycle of anxiety and fear that may impede recovery and reconstruction. Until recently, its devastating effects on the health and well-being of survivors, communities and nations received little attention. But this is finally changing. The intensified media coverage of sexual atrocities committed in conflict zones--ranging from the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda to Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)--coupled with the cumulative impact of decades of research and advocacy by activists, have helped to galvanize a growing movement.

The International Symposium on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond-convened from 21 to 23 June 2006 by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the European Commission and the Government of Belgium-brought together some of the pioneers of that movement as well as new allies. Delegations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Colombia, DRC, Haiti, Indonesia, Liberia, Palestine, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Uganda were joined by experts from UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), journalists, field-based humanitarian workers, military and police officers, and human rights activists, as well as ministers, parliamentarians and government officials from conflict and donor countries alike. The diverse gathering reflected what UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called "a growing international consensus that sexual violence is a human rights violation, a global public health problem and an impediment to recovery, development and peace".

The Symposium examined the social, cultural and development costs of sexual violence, the importance of prevention and the benefits of compassionate and comprehensive care. Representatives from conflict-affected nations presented national action plans for combating sexual violence and sought input and intensified support from international donors and agencies. They also testified about the devastating impact of rape on individuals. Experts from Sudan, Colombia, Sri Lanka and other conflict zones spoke of severe physical consequences, including painful injuries, unwanted pregnancies and HIV/AIDS, and about the damage to mental health, such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and extreme depression. They shared heartbreaking tales of suicide and the abandonment of children born as a result of rape, and spoke of...