Organisations and/or States working to address CRSV on the international level, i.e. by trying to make an impact in one or more countries around the globe, or more generally (i.e. by running projects that have an overarching aim in terms of ending/adressing CRSV).

– Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (OSRSG-SVC)

According to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (OSRSG-SVC): “The Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (OSRSG-SVC) is an office of the United Nations Secretariat that supports the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (SRSG-SVC). The Special Representative serves as the United Nations’ spokesperson and political advocate on conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). She chairs the United Nations Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict (UN Action) and her work is supported by the United Nations Team of Experts on the Rule of Law/Sexual Violence in Conflict (TOE).”

– UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict (UN Action)

According to UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict (UN Action), UN Action “is a network of 24 UN entities, united with the goal of ending sexual violence during and in the wake of armed conflict. Working as one UN, the UN Action aims to: (1) Prevent conflict-related sexual violence; (2) Enhance accountability; and (3) Meet the needs of survivors of sexual violence. In all relevant resolutions notably 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013), 2331 (2016) and 2467 (2019) the Security Council specifically highlights UN Action as the critical interagency coordination forum to address CRSV, through joint advocacy, knowledge generation and programming.” UN Action is chaired by the SRSG-SVC. The 24 UN entities included in this network is diverse (e.g. working on children (UNICEF), refugees (UNHCR), terrorism (CTED), HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), peace operations (UNDPO), human rights (UNHR), migration (IOM), gender equality and empowerment of women (UN WOMEN), genocide (UN Office of the Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide), health (WHO)) and can therefore together and holistically make an impact on ending CRSV.

UN Peacekeeping is occupied with preventing and responding to CRSV in its field missions: “The Security Council has mandated United Nations field missions to prevent and respond to CRSV. Missions are expected to prevent and respond to CRSV based on their human rights, child protection, protection of civilians, women, peace and security, and wider prevention responsibilities. Today, four peacekeeping missions have a specific Security Council mandate to address CRSV: MINUSCA in the Central African Republic, MINUSMA in Mali, MONUSCO in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UNMISS in South Sudan.” (…) “Our work is guided by the UN Policy for Field Missions on Preventing and Responding to CRSV. All personnel have the obligation to abide by the guiding principles it contains throughout their work and in interactions with national and local interlocutors, including survivors. Those principles include Do no harm; Confidentiality; Informed consent; Gender-sensitivity; the survivor-centred approach; and the Best interest of the child. The Policy also articulates the roles and responsibility of Heads of Missions and of the different mission components in implementing the CRSV mandate.” (…) “Working in close collaboration with the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (OSRSG-SVC), and with support from partners, DPO developed the first Handbook for United Nations Field Missions on Preventing and Responding to Conflict-Related Sexual Violence. The Handbook aims to provide practical guidance to civilian, military and police components of field missions and increase their capacities to prevent and respond to CRSV.”

According to the International Criminal Court (ICC), the ICC “investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. The Court is participating in a global fight to end impunity, and through international criminal justice, the Court aims to hold those responsible accountable for their crimes and to help prevent these crimes from happening again. The Court cannot reach these goals alone. As a court of last resort, it seeks to complement, not replace, national Courts. Governed by an international treaty called the Rome Statute, the ICC is the world’s first permanent international criminal court.” The ICC also investigates and tries CRSV as international crimes. In addition, the Prosecutor has appointed Special Advisors to advise him in his work, including on themes as sexual violence in conflict, crimes against and affecting children, slavery crimes, and gender persecution.

According to the Mukwege Foundation: “The Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation is an international human rights organisation working together with survivors of conflict-related sexual violence from around the world. Drawing attention to the most shameful crimes committed during conflicts, the Foundation envisions a world in which sexual violence as a weapon of war is no longer tolerated. Together with its special adviser, the Congolese gynaecologist and women’s rights activist Dr Denis Mukwege, the Foundation works for a future where survivors worldwide receive the holistic care they need and obtain reparations; where they have the freedom to speak out and organise globally to end wartime sexual violence.” Dr Denis Mukwege is the founder of Panzi Hospital in DRC, a treatment center for survivors of sexual violence in conflict.

The Mukwege Foundation set up “SEMA- The Global Network of Victims and Survivors to End Wartime Sexual Violence” which gathers victims and survivors of wartime sexual violence from over 21 countries and 6 continents acting in solidarity, mobilising collectively and advocating for justice and change. Together with SEMA members, Dr Mukwege and Nadia’s Initiative, the Mukwege Foundation also established the Global Survivors Fund, which mission is to ensure survivors of conflict-related sexual violence have access to reparations, and other forms of redress, globally.

According to ARQ International: “ARQ helps with shocking events and psychotrauma. We offer people and organisations customised care, advice and share knowledge. ARQ has all psychotrauma expertise under one roof and is therefore unique in the world.” ARQ’s work on psychotrauma includes survivors of CRSV and THB.

According to Impact: Center against Human Trafficking and Sexual Violence in Conflict (Impact): “We are an independent and trusted expertise center that gives a positive contribution (IMPACT) to preventing and addressing trafficking in human beings (THB or human trafficking)and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). We look at the related crimes of human trafficking, enslavement and conflict-related sexual violence independently as well as together; this makes IMPACT unique.” Impact focusses on preventing and addressing THB and CRSV from four different angles: (1) research and advice; (2) education and awareness; (3) training and capacity building; and (4) empowerment and advocacy.

According to the Institute for International Criminal Investigations (IICI), IICI “is an independent, not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation providing criminal justice and human rights professionals with the training and knowledge necessary to investigate war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide and the most serious human rights violations.” The IICI provides, amongst other things, courses on the investigation of cases of sexual and gender-based violence as international crimes and has developed guidelines, including on CRSV committed against men and boys and the Murad Code, a global code of conduct for gathering and using information about systematic and conflict-related sexual violence.

According to Nadia’s Initiative, set up by Nadia Murad (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, UNODC Goodwill Ambassador and survivor of genocidal sexual violence by ISIS against the Yazidis): “Nadia’s Initiative is dedicated to rebuilding communities in crisis and advocating globally for survivors of sexual violence. The Initiative’s current work is focused on the sustainable re-development of the Yazidi homeland in Sinjar, Iraq, where Nadia grew up. When ISIS launched their genocidal campaign, they not only killed and kidnapped Yazidis, but also destroyed the Yazidi homeland to ensure the community could never return.

Nadia’s Initiative partners with local communities and local and international organizations to design, support, and implement projects that promote the restoration of education, healthcare, livelihoods, WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), culture, and women’s empowerment in the region. All Nadia’s Initiative programs are community-driven, survivor-centric, and designed to promote long-term peacebuilding. The Initiative advocates governments and international organizations to support efforts to rebuild Sinjar, seek justice for Yazidis, improve security in the region, and support survivors of sexual violence worldwide.”

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): “the ICRC is an independent, neutral organization ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. It takes action in response to emergencies and at the same time promotes respect for international humanitarian law and its implementation in national law.” Furthermore, it states that “sexual violence is prevalent in many modern conflicts. The ICRC is stepping up its efforts to prevent this crime and help the victims.” For example, “the ICRC offers services and referrals to coordinated networks of specialists to implement this [holistic] response. Furthermore, the ICRC ensures that the risks of sexual and gender-based violence are mitigated in its programming, and aids survivors such as through community-based livelihood programming — including a discussion with ICRC mental and psychosocial health delegate to address the prevention of sexual violence.”

According to the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice: “Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice is an international women’s human rights organisation that advocates for gender justice through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and through domestic mechanisms, including peace negotiations and justice processes.”

According to We Are Not Weapons of War (WWOW), WWOW aims to “make the elimination of sexual violence during conflict a global public issue.” In addition, they contribute to fighting impunity and empowering victims/survivors.

According to Stand Speak Rise Up! (SSRU), SSRU “aims to denounce rape as a weapon of war, to prevent its proliferation and to support victims in their reconstruction and their need for justice. It was created in September 2019 at the instigation of the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, who had organized the firstInternational Forum on this subject in March of the same year in Luxembourg. The association acts as a “megaphone” by giving a voice to the victims and by providing solutions. It thus organizes regular meetings on specific themes, inviting both survivors and specialized international experts. The objective is to draw up factual observations, propose solutions and act together with international bodies in order to get things moving. The Stand Speak Rise Up! initiative is a call addressed at representatives of national and international organizations and civil society to rally behind survivors, by supporting their cause and empowering them. Ending impunity for perpetrators and commanders of crimes of sexual violence in fragile environments must be an international priority!”

According to Justice Rapid Response (JRR), JRR “partners with international, national and civil society actors by providing them with prompt, impartial and professional expertise, tailored to each context, to investigate international crimes and serious human rights violations and to promote the rights and access to justice of victims and survivors.”

Physicians for Human Rights’ Program on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones “forges critical partnerships that are dramatically increasing local capacity to forensically document and prosecute cases of sexual violence. Our work is driven by PHR’s decades of experience in forensic investigations and advocacy. With pioneering technology like our award-winning app MediCapt, we bring constant innovation to our mission to end sexual violence.”

• All Survivors Project
• American University, Washington College of Law, War Crimes Research Office
• Amnesty International
• Center for African Justice, Peace and Human Rights
• Children Born of War
• Civitas Maxima
• Comfort Women Action for Redress & Education
• Emergent Justice Collective
• International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH)
• Human Rights Watch
• IFHHRO
• International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP)
• Global Justice Center
• Kvinna till Kvinna
• London School of Economics (LSE), Centre for Women, Peace and Security
• Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Sexual Violence in Conflict
• Petrified Survivors
• Queen’s University Belfast, Human Rights Centre
• Redress
• Save the Children
• Synergy for Justice
• Tallawah
• TRIAL International
• United States Institute of Peace
• University of California, Human Rights Center Berkeley
• Washington University in St. Louis, Center for Human Rights, Gender & Migration
• Wayamo Foundation
• Women for Women International