UNITED NATIONS, Oct 25 (APP): A UN human rights expert has said that sexual violence committed in wartime should be recognized within the framework of the Convention Against Torture to ensure prosecution benefits from a robust legal foundation.
In an exclusive interview with UN News, a media website, Alice Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, discussed her latest report – presented to the General Assembly on Friday – urging that sexual violence in conflict be recognized under the Convention against Torture, in light of a surge in sexual torture across global conflicts.
“What we are seeing in the more than 120 armed conflicts that are going on in the world right now is that there is a high prevalence and intensity of sexual forms of torture being committed in different armed conflicts, taking different guises, for different purposes, but nonetheless affecting not only the direct victims but their families and society as a whole,” she said, highlighting how torture fosters hatred and obstructs peace.
Sexual torture, Ms. Edwards described, is “one of the most egregious kinds” of torture, causing profound physical, psychological, and socio-economic harm. She emphasised that States must fulfil their absolute obligations to prohibit torture in all forms, including sexual torture, both in times of peace and conflict.
Reflecting on broader anti-torture efforts, Ms. Edwards praised the Convention Against Torture’s framework as an essential roadmap for eradicating all forms of torture. The “torture framework,” she explained, bypasses irrelevant questions of consent, recognises torture’s severity, and applies inclusively across genders and roles.
If sexual violence was considered within the Convention, no limitations could be applied on investigations, as well as no amnesties, nor immunities, thus providing a stronger and more inclusive legal structure for prosecuting such crimes, she said.
“I’ve dedicated my report to sexual torture because we’re seeing it in all different types of conflicts, and it really is one of the most egregious kinds of torture. It really is both a combination of physical and psychological torture that causes great damage to individuals and to societies. That damage can be reproductive, and it can also be socioeconomic,” the expert said.
“So, my goal with this report is to remind states that they have absolute obligations to prohibit torture, to prevent it, including in the form of sexual torture.”