The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) was the first resolution to recognise that women are affected differently by armed conflict and play a key role in the peace-building process. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the resolution, the non-profit organisation, Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), published a series of articles enhancing the voices and actions of women in areas affected by conflict along with the efforts of actors such as the UN to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and related resolutions.
The main areas in which CIVIC has undertaken research to assess how peacekeeping missions are addressing conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) have been: the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan. In general, CIVIC has established that UN peacekeeping missions in these three territories have made significant progress in ensuring more gender sensitive analyses. However, gender analysis of conflicts is still too often seen as a burden rather than being seen as a fundamental part of peacekeeping missions. The collection of information, analysis and response to the CRSV still needs to be improved in order to become systematic or institutionalised. The CIVIC report, titled We Have to Try to Break the Silence Somehow: Preventing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence through UN Peacekeeping, provides recommendations on how to address the remaining gaps and strengthen the efforts of these missions to protect women, men, girls and boys from the CRSV.
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Author: Carla Pintor
