UNITED NATIONS, June 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called on the international community to take more concerted actions to ensure accountability for the perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict.
"Sexual violence in conflict is a threat to our collective security and a stain on our common humanity," he said in a message on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, which falls on Wednesday.
It is used as a tactic of war, to terrorize people and to destabilize societies, said the UN chief, adding that its effects can echo across generations through trauma, stigma, poverty, long-term health issues and unwanted pregnancy.
"We must hear the survivors, and recognize their needs and demands. They are mostly women and girls, but also men and boys, calling for our support to access life-saving health services, justice and reparation," the Secretary-General added.
Guterres said that the global response must include more concerted actions, and it is also to address the gender inequality that fuels these atrocities. "Together, we can and must replace impunity with justice; and indifference with action."
