The Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations, Ambassador Román Oyarzun Marchesi, recommended on 2 June that interreligious dialogue initiatives such as KAICIID be included in “the fight against sexual violence.” The Ambassador was speaking at a UN Security Council open debate on the use of sexual violence in conflict situations.

Amb. Oyarzun also recommended that the situation of survivors be systematically discussed with religious leaders, given their influence within their communities. “Their commitment to prevention and to reintegrating victims can be key for victims and their families”, he said.

Olof Skoog, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations, speaking also for Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway, called for a holistic approach that would include partnerships with all stakeholders, including traditional and religious leaders.

Participants agreed that the use of sexual violence in conflict situations has become a tactic of terrorism, often used by violent extremist groups. Zainab Hawa Bangura, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, explained that sexual violence was integral to extremist groups’ ideology and strategic objectives.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon referred to sexual violence as a “deliberate strategy used to shred the fabric of society”. He mentioned the abduction of more than 200 girls from Chibok, Nigeria, more than two years ago as one of the most horrific examples of the use of sexual violence as a tactic of terrorism.