The Duchess of Edinburgh has said it’s time to put the rights and voices of survivors of sexual violence in conflict at the heart of efforts to eradicate the crime.
Sophie made her plea in a video speech to the Restoration of the Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Survivors’ Rights Conference held in Ukraine.
Addressing delegates including the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, the Duchess said ”we must stand shoulder to shoulder with all survivors to secure justice and holistic redress, and ensure that this crime isn’t an accepted part of conflict. Their rights and their voices must be at the heart of all our efforts to consign conflict-related sexual violence to the history books.”
She was invited to address the conference by Olena Zelenska and by the Foreign, Commonealth and Development Office.
Sophie also told the conference, organised by the government of Ukraine, that ”The scale of the challenge that conflict-related sexual violence presents around the world, from Myanmar to Ethiopia, from Colombia to Sudan, the current crisis in the Middle East to Ukraine, both from past and present conflicts, is enormous. Sadly, the landscape seems to be getting worse. As we gather here today, thousands of women, men, boys and girls are being subjected to sexual violence in order to demean, over-power and destroy.”
And she had words for those who have suffered in Ukraine, saying ”emale and male survivors have bravely recounted their experiences of the most appalling atrocities they have endured, since the start of the war in 2022. This conference is an important opportunity to ensure that those survivors are not forgotten, to shine a spotlight on their bravery and the need to ensure justice and accountability are upheld.”
The Duchess of Edinburgh has spent several years working to support survivors and to end sexual violence in conflict.
