sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV)
80 Articles

UN Should Suspend Sri Lanka from Peacekeeping Over Human Rights Abuses
The government has failed in its international obligations to investigate and prosecute crimes, and has promoted alleged war criminals to high levels.

Truth, Justice, and the Narrative in International Criminal Law
International courts are inherently expressive: they provide a platform for a multitude of narratives. But recently, some prosecutorial narratives have begun to dominate in International…

The Risks of Relying on Counterterrorism Laws to Reduce Wartime Sexual Violence
Proponents risk legitimizing abusive laws and procedures and undermining broader efforts to advance equality and human rights protection for women.

National Security at the United Nations This Week (June 19-26)
(Editor’s Note: This is the latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security,…

Draft “Murad Code” Aims to Improve Investigations of Sexual Violence in Conflict
The guidelines respond to troubling past practices that made investigations ineffective, re-traumatizing, unnecessarily duplicative, and a security risk.

New UN Handbook on Sexual Violence in Conflict Helps, But Still Falls Short
It omits a key type of violation and fails to account for the power structures that enable multiple forms of sexual violence and abuse.

National Security at the United Nations This Week (April 25-May 1)
(Editor’s Note: This is the latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security,…

Is Justice the Antidote to Sexual Violence in Conflict? Why Amal Clooney is Only Half Right
While many survivors of sexual violence do want accountability, it isn’t always their first priority, particularly when boiled down to prosecutions and disconnected from their…

Gutting the Substance of a Security Council Resolution on Sexual Violence
The United States has abandoned any meaningful commitment to victims and survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, in the interest of appeasing domestic anti-abortion constituencies.…

Gender-Based Violence and Sanctions: A Potential UN Security Council Framework
Proposals to add a separate category on sexual and gender-based violations (SGBV) to the sanctions regimes for Sudan, Somalia, and Libya in the past six months have revived the…

Beyond Killing: The Critical Role of Gender in the Recognition, Prevention and Punishment of Genocide
“When we have the unique capabilities to help avert a massacre, then I believe the United States of America cannot turn a blind eye. We can act, carefully and responsibly,…

States Are Challenging New Policy That Denies Asylum to Survivors of Domestic Violence
Eighteen states and the District of Columbia filed an amicus brief on September 28, in support of a legal challenge to the Trump administration’s new policy that denies asylum…