16 Days of Activism: Fighting Gender-Based Violence and Sexual Torture
As we kick off the 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, I cannot help but feel that this fight to recognise women’s equality, dignity, and above all, right to a life free from violence, is an uphill battle that seems to get steeper and darker the further we climb.
The UN and NGO sector publish countless reports and recommendations about the scale and urgency of gender-based violence, and millions of dollars are spent each year trying to change knowledge, attitudes, and behavior, and yet, still an estimated 736 million women—almost one in three—have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life (30 per cent of women aged 15 and older). In 2022, around 48,800 women and girls worldwide were killed by their intimate partners or other family members. This means that, on average, more than five women or girls are killed every hour by someone in their own family.
And these statistics - as grim as they are - do not even scratch the surface of the sexual violence and torture that women and girls suffer in conflict. We know that, for a variety of reasons, instances of sexual violence in conflict are grossly underreported. Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten estimates that for every reported case of wartime sexual violence, up to twenty additional cases remain undocumented and unaddressed. For this reason, Special Rapporteur on Torture, Dr. Alice Edwards, noted in her recent report to the UN General Assembly that “With the near ubiquity of sexual torture in modern armed conflicts, [I] believe that authorities should have a working assumption that sexual torture is taking place. This will maximise their ability to respond, collect and preserve evidence, and to get victims the help they need.”
The Special Rapporteur further highlighted that sexual assaults by warring parties are almost always acts of torture. Sexual torture involves severe pain and suffering, inflicted by a person acting in official capacity, intentionally for purposes such as interrogation, punishment, intimidation, or discrimination—fitting the four core elements of torture outlined in the UN Convention Against Torture. The Special Rapporter called for a rethinking of how these atrocities are viewed and addressed, emphasising that treating conflict-related sexual violence as torture will enhance accountability and support for survivors.
“Shame and stigma remain deeply associated with sexual violence of all kinds, extending to children who are born of rape, and are key factors impeding recovery, rehabilitation and justice. The complexity of the extensive impact on and suffering of survivors is often compounded by multiple traumatic experiences... By approaching sexual violence in war through the torture framework, shame and stigma are removed from victims and rest entirely where they belong – on the perpetrators and those who embolden them to commit these crimes. This includes those in authority who explicitly or implicitly grant permission for sexual torture, for example by standing by and allowing it to happen, through reinforcing social divisions and dehumanization that foment hatred, or by leaving crimes unpunished.”
At Synergy, we work in solidarity with local partners, victims and survivors, international NGOs, and UN agencies, to advance justice and ensure that survivors can access the services and opportunities they need to heal and fully participate in society. It takes courage to demand justice, and we are proud to support and advocate for change, no matter how steep that mountain remains.
We invite you to stand with us in this fight. Whether by raising awareness, supporting survivors, or advocating for systemic change, your actions make a difference. Together, we can challenge impunity, break the cycle of violence, and create a world where women and girls live free from fear.