SRSG Pramila Patten urges the protection of survivors of sexual violence following the liberation of Mosul from Da’esh

“ I urge all relevant stakeholders to ensure the return of women and girls from Da’esh captivity in safety and dignity; to welcome them back into their communities; to support them in healing and reintegrating back into the community and to address all their human rights protection needs, in particular those of children born to survivors of rape ’, she added. SRSG Patten commended the efforts of religious leaders in issuing public statement including fatwas on the protection of survivors of sexual violence and urged them to facilitate targeted community dialogue to help address the specific grievances suffered by mothers and their children born of rape and to promote acceptance of these children. SRSG Patten further urged Iraqis from all walks of life to shun stigmatization. She reiterated calls for immediate actions to hold perpetrators accountable and pledged the support of the United Nations in this regard.

SRSG Patten added that her office will follow-up on supporting the Government of Iraq including the Kurdistan Regional government to implement the Joint Communiqué on Prevention and Response to Conflict-Related Sexual Violence signed in September 2016 including through capacity –building and working closely with the designated high-level focal points on conflict-related sexual violence in Baghdad and Erbil. She hailed the commitment of the Government towards ensuring its full implementation.

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For media inquiries, please contact Ms. Letitia Anderson, Office of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, New York. Tel: +1 212 963 0910; andersonl@un.org