Angelina Jolie tackles myths of sexual violence in speech at 2017 UN Peacekeeping summit in Vancouver

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      As anticipated, Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie delivered a keynote speech at the 2017 UN Peacekeeping Defense Ministerial Conference held at the Vancouver Convention Centre on November 15.

      Jolie, who was a UNHCR goodwill ambassador from 2001 to 2012 and was appointed special envoy in 2012, is a special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and cofounder of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative.

      Her speech at the summit focused on the prevention and punishment of sexual violence, as one of the main issues being addressed at the conference, held from November 14 to 15, was how to integrate gender perspectives into peacekeeping.

      Gender equality and human rights

      She pointed out how sexual violence is a "critical obstacle to achieving women's equality and our full human rights" and asked international conflict negotiators to both identify sexual violence as a weapon and actively work to prevent it.

      She pointed out that while it has been 21 years since the UN promised to address sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers and increase the number of women deployed in operations, the exploitation of civilians continues and less than four percent of all peacekeepers are women.

      "So we have to ask, how is it after all these years, all these laws, and all these resolutions, and all the horrors endured, women still have to ask for this most basic of all entitlements: the right to a life free from violence?"

      Defining sexual violence

      She addressed several myths about sexual violence, which she said can include mass rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, and rape of as a form of torture, ethnic cleansing, and terrorism, and gave some hard-hitting examples to support her points.

      "It has nothing to do with sex," she clarified. "It has everything to do with the abuse of power. It is criminal behavior.”

      During the mass displacement of Rohingya in Myanmar, she said that, according to the UN, almost every female refugee who has fled to Bangladesh has survived or witnessed sexual assault, rape, or gang rape.

      She also said a trial started last week in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for 46 cases of rape of children—some victims were only 18 months old—by 18 militia fighters who were allegedly told that the blood of virgins would give them supernatural protection.

      She added that half of the victims that Médicins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) treats for rape are under 18 years old.

      In addition, she made an oblique reference to the sexual allegations against numerous U.S. film industry figures.

      "Sexual violence is everywhere: in the industry where I work, in business, in universities, in politics, in the military, and across the world," she stated.

      (Jolie was one of several Hollywood stars to speak out about Weinstein, confirming to the New York Times in an October 10 article that she had experienced unwanted advances from him. Weinstein has denied all of the allegations made about him.)

      What can be done

      Jolie went on to tackle another erroneous belief—that it is impossible to do anything to stop sexual violence, particularly in "the extreme conditions of war".

      She pointed out that while there are laws, there is expertise in gathering evidence, and perpetrators can be identified, she pinpointed what has been missing: "the political will".

      She criticized political leaders for regarding sexual violence as an inevitable byproduct of conflict instead of as a central issue to prevent, address, and punish.

      However, she went on to say that she has witnessed a "dramatic change in the willingness of military leaders to address the taboos around these issues and take action".

      Furthermore, she said that Canada, the U.K., and Bangladesh announced on November 15 that they are establishing the Senior Military Chiefs Network, to work with officers on increasing the number of women in their military, incorporate gender issues into training, deploy more women in operational roles, and appoint full-time gender advisors.

       

      The summit was attended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, in addition to representatives from 80 countries.

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