2014 South African Youth Communiqué – Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict

Image: Flickr, gugulective
Image: Flickr, gugulective

We, the children and youth of South Africa, are disturbed by the increasing number and intensity of conflict situations that have arisen globally and are deeply concerned with the acts of sexual violence that violate human rights during these times of conflict.

Therefore, as young leaders, we offer our recommendations to the international community at the start of the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict.

On the issue of international cooperation, we the children and youth call upon the world’s
leaders to:

  1. Exercise zero tolerance towards perpetrators of sexual violence.
  2. Diligently uphold existing United Nations Resolutions, such as 1325 and 1820, so as to build upon a coherent international framework for ending sexual violence in conflict.
  3. Unequivocally promote the inclusion of non-governmental and civil society organisations in post-conflict rehabilitation and policy formulation.
  4. Ensure that preventing and ending sexual violence in conflict is incorporated into the broader Post-2015 Development Agenda.
  5. Establish and advance existing international youth platforms to raise awareness and to involve young people in the prevention sexual violence in any instance.
The views expressed in this publication/article are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).

12 Jun 2014

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