GENEVA (25 November 2019) – On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UN and regional experts on violence against
women and women’s rights* call upon all States to close the gap between international and national laws on rape and
sexual violence.
“In recent years, through campaigns such as #MeToo, #TimesUp, #Niunamenos, #NotOneMore, and others, the voices of rape
survivors, both in times of war and in peace, have placed the spotlight on this issue and have reached an upsurge that
can no longer be silenced or ignored,” the experts said in a joint statement.
“As we look to the future, and in order to address the chilling impact that rape and sexual violence against women has
on the human rights of women, urgent action must be taken by States, but also by non-State actors, as well as
international organisations and independent monitoring mechanisms, civil society organisations and women’s rights
movements.
“We must strive to prevent and combat rape and sexual violence, to challenge the gender stereotypes and the negative
attitudes and behaviours that underlie and perpetuate such violence, and to support and provide redress to women who are
willing to speak up.”
The experts said that rape is one of the most under-reported crimes, and even when it is reported it is rarely
prosecuted. This is due to a number of factors including gender based stereotypes, as well as criminal justice systems
which define rape based on the use of force. These present the key obstacles for needed change.
“The persistence of widespread and systematic rape and sexual violence against women and girls, even in States that have
proclaimed zero tolerance on violence against women, demonstrates that sexual violence is deeply entrenched in our still
predominantly patriarchal societies,” the experts said.
“Power and control continue to create a social environment whereby such violence is normalised, and gender-based
stereotypes on the role of women in society undermine and devalue women.
“These factors contribute to the unacceptable tolerance of rape, including within criminal justice systems, often
resulting in impunity for perpetrators. Moreover, criminal justice systems that adopt force-based definitions of rape
often require evidence that the perpetrator used coercion and that the victim failed to fight back. As such, the burden
is placed on the woman to prove that she resisted. If unable to do so, the perpetrator would walk free while the victim
is left stigmatised.”