2019 International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict International Symposium

For photos click link to the Korean post: https://womenandwar.net/kr/2019-%ec%84%b8%ea%b3%84-%ec%a0%84%ec%8b%9c%ec%84%b1%ed%8f%ad%eb%a0%a5-%ec%b6%94%eb%b0%a9%ec%9d%98-%eb%82%a0-%ea%b5%ad%ec%a0%9c%ec%8b%ac%ed%8f%ac%ec%a7%80%ec%97%84/?ckattempt=1

2019 International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict International Symposium <Endless Pain, for Prevention of the Crimes of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict>

In commemoration of the Security Council Resolution 1820, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed June 19th as the International Day for Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict in order to raise awareness as well as to eradicate conflict-related sexual violence around the world.

Hereupon, following the participation in the International Symposium with Mukwege Foundation held at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva last year for the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict (June 19), the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery Japan (Representative Yoon Mee-hyang, also known as the Korean Council), for the first time in Korea, hosted a 3-day event between June 17th and June 19th which included the International Teacher’s Workshop, International Symposium and 1392nd Wednesday Demonstration for Resolution of the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery Issue and Elimination of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict.

Following the Teacher’s Workshop, at the International Symposium “Endless Pain, for Prevention of the Crimes of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict”, held in the Yoido Eroom Centre on the following day (Tuesday the 18th between 9.30am to 5pm), the participants had the opportunity to share thoughts on how we can support the Butterfly Fund and eradicate wartime violence based on the wartime violence of the DR Congo and Uganda civil wars.

Halmoni Gil Won-Ok and Lee Yong-Su were present at the symposium as special guests. Gil Won-Ok halmoni sang a song and Lee Yong-Su halmoni gave a heartfelt speech, stating that “it’s a good age to fight for human rights.”

Prof. Rashida Manjoo, professor of public law at Cape Town University in South Africa and former UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, shared the progress of the UN debate on sexual violence in armed conflict. She also emphasized the importance of “transformational reparation” which adopts gender perspective, taking into account the present lives of women and girls beyond the civil society and political spheres and challenges today’s systematic inequality which has been the root cause of violence.

Through the reports highlighting its activity over the past 7 years, the Korean Council presented the effect of the Butterfly Fund which has consistently supported the survivors of sexual violence in conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Vietnam as well as women who have been effected by sexual violence in the Palestinian conflict. Additionally, through the Butterfly Fund, which was created by the citizens’ participation in hopes to eliminate sexual violence in armed conflict, the Korean Council pledged to establish active and deep solidarity with victims of wartime violence around the worldand to play a part in the emergence of the next Gil Won-Ok and Kim Bok-Dong. 

Jean Chung, a photojournalist, shared her experience of visiting the conflict areas in South Sudan and Nigeria wherein she delivered the Butterfly Fund to the victims of sexual violence. The survivors living in refugee camps who were unable to return home after having been rescued were in need of help from their country to survive and reintegrate into the society. However, they were caught in a situation where they could not expect any help from their own country. To these women, the Butterfly Fund provided hope and encouragement for the future. Likewise, Chung highlighted the power of the Butterfly Fund and emphasized how this small attention and donation could bring hope to individuals and peace to the world.

Bonane Bugeso Akim, an activist of #REMED, a group supporting the survivors of sexual violence in armed conflict in Congo, illustrated the reality of severe human rights violations by armed groups in Northern Kivu, wherein women and girls are especially targeted. He introduced a REMED-initiated program which challenges the increasing number of women and girls becoming subjects to sexual violence in armed conflict. REMED focused on preventing sexual violence and tackled isolation and secrecy, which lead to trauma and social stigma by gathering the victims and encouraging them to share their experiences amongst each other. Moreover, by adopting the “Mama Ushirika” approach which opens the door to dialogue for healing and hope, REMED gave concrete shape to this method of talking openly about an experience that can easily be suppressed. By financially supporting the children’s education and funding projects, the Butterfly Fund has played a crucial role in helping these survivors of sexual violence and their family to integrate back into the society with dignity and independence. 

Jolly Grace Okot is the CEO of Wend Africa (#WendAfrica), an organization that employs those formerly affected by sexual violence in armed conflict, to make and sell bags as a way to integrate back into the community. As a survivor herself, she shared her personal experience and highlighted her efforts in helping other victims of sexual violence in armed conflict at the symposium.

Jolly, who had been abducted by the rebel group in Northern Uganda, Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), dedicated her life working with communities affected by LRA violence after her escape. Standing up as a strong advocate, she worked with dozens of international organizations and produced a documentary to convey the stories of the victims as well as developed successful programs such as founding the Legacy Scholarship program. Her main goal was to help these victims of sexual violence to grow and become strong and self-sufficient. Jolly’s presentation this day once again confirmed that raising awareness to the stories of survivors and supporting these women to establish their own identity is the solution to give the new generation a chance to see peace and become less vulnerable in the future.

Acan Sylvia Obal, the representative of Golden Women Vision Uganda and winner of the 1st Kim Bok-Dong Peace Prize shared her personal experience as a survivor of sexual violence in armed conflict. She also spoke about the progress and challenges of the current support system for victims of war and gender violence in Uganda. Sylvia established a support group for these survivors and proposed a bill before parliament to have the voices of the survivors heard. She has been using the prize money of the 1st Kim Bok-Dong Peace Prize and the Butterfly Fund to help the survivors become independent. However, there is still a lack in food and treatment for the survivors and the social stigma and discrimination against these women continue today. In order to address this issue, Sylvia emphasized that the survivors should be directly involved in the government’s policy-making process so that they can advocate for their own rights and implement appropriate compensation programs. 

Similarly, Aber Rose, representative of Can Rewede Pee, a support organization for the survivors of sexual violence victims in Uganda, has been using the Butterfly Fund to support children’s tuition fee, rent, food and medical expenses. She also explained that the fund has allowed these survivors to run village savings. However, she brought forward the reality wherein the problems such as lack of living spaces continue due to food expenses.Despite these difficulties, Rose sang a song embodying that no one including the future generation should suffer the pain victims endured as they were abducted, and she expressed her earnest desire for the elimination of sexual violence in armed conflict.

The four speakers who had travelled a long distance from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda clearly showed that sexual violence in armed conflict is neither a story of the past nor is it an event that pertains to other countries. By addressing the vivid stories about their own countries, they clearly demonstrated that sexual violence in armed conflict is something that can happen to anyone at anytime.

The 2nd Kim Bok-Dong Peace Prize winner and survivor of Kosovo’s wartime violence, activist Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman, who works at the Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims emphasized that it was necessary to tell the stories of the sexual violence survivors even if this brings back her dark memories of the experience as this is a way to effectively punish the perpetrators and achieve justice. She also shared that the Kim Bok-Dong Peace Prize meant special and was the most valuable prize she had received as it comes from someone who has suffered a similar pain.

Through the presentation highlighting the <#me_too of the survivors of the Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, #with_you to eliminate sexual violence in armed conflict>, Yoon Mee-hyang, the representative of the Korean Council, illustrated the process in which the “comfort women” were able to raise their voices by meeting other women around the world who have shared the experience of sexual violence in armed conflict. Likewise, she highlighted the power of the #me_too and #with_you movement as one survivor’s voice can encourage another survivor to speak up. Thus, she has made the importance for more solidarity and interaction between these women clear in order to change the fundamental system and prevent sexual violence in armed conflict.

Yoon also stated that the voices and lives of the victims of the Military Sexual Slavery by Japan and the history of this movement will be shared with Uganda wartime violence victims who are trying to grow as subjects of social change even though they have struggled from a long-term and ongoing period of civil war in Uganda. She also requested that all of the participants of the symposium become activists and witnesses of this effort to transform our society by participating in the solidarity movement adjoined with survivors and human rights and peace activists around the world. 

Yoon’s talk was followed by halmoni Lee Yong-Soo who expressed her willingness to join Yoon in helping Uganda as a living witness of history. The International Symposium then came to an end as the first Kim Bok-dong Peace Prize winner, Acan Sylvia Obal of Golden Women Vision concluded the symposium by reading a resolution demanding for the Japanese government to admit the crimes of Japanese military sexual slavery, make an official apology and provide legal reparations as well as for the UN to take all measures in restoring the dignity of the survivors of sexual violence in armed conflict around the world and achieve justice. 

Below is the English version of the Symposium Resolution. 

[2019 Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict Week (June 17-19) International Symposium Resolution]

The United Nations proclaimed June 19 as the “International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict” at its General Assembly in 2015, in order to commemorate the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1820. 

Security Council Resolution 1820 was adopted in 2008, 8 years after the adoption of Resolution 1325 that adopted the impact of armed conflict on women as the agenda and called for full participation of women in the post-conflict peace-building process. Resolution 1820 carries significance for it calls for international peace and security and prohibits use of sexual violence as a tactic of war.

It was the Japanese military sexual slavery survivors who played a crucial role in bringing the United Nations’ attention to the issue of war and women’s human rights and creating a change in awareness.

In particular, Hwang Geum-ju halmoni’s testimony at the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in 1992, when countless women were suffering from sexual violence due to various civil war and armed conflict, including the Bosnian War, and Kim Bok-dong halmoni’s testimony at the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993 gave a huge shock to the UN and international community. Halmonis’ testimonies created the momentum for the international community to gradually raise its voice about the responsibilities of the perpetrators for resolution of the sexual violence in conflict issue, including the Japanese military sexual slavery issue. Through such activities, the survivors contributed to establishing international human rights standards and preventing recurrence of sexual violence in conflict.

Furthermore, the Japanese military sexual slavery victims broke the silence of more than half a century since the end of World War II and called for justice by demanding the Japanese government to “admit war crimes,” “make official apology and reparations,” and “establish measures to prevent recurrence.” Their courageous ME TOO that lasted for 30 years has now led to ME TOO of other victims of sexual violence in conflict, including in DR Congo, Uganda, and Kosovo.

However, despite the UN Security Council’s adoption of various resolutions and proclamation of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, armed conflicts and conflicts around the world and crimes of violence against women continue. Restoration of human rights for the Japanese military sexual slavery survivors, who have fought for justice for 30 years without giving up, is being delayed.

The victims’ rights to truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence are not guaranteed, and the practice of non-punishment of perpetrators remains in our society, impeding realization of justice for the victims.

Now the governments and the international community must respond to ME TOO of the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery and sexual violence in conflict across the world, to ensure that the perpetrators admit their crimes and make legal reparations.

“There should not be another victims like us again.” The Japanese military sexual slavery victims have called for a peaceful world without war, a world where women’s human rights are equally respected. We shall become Kim Bok-dong, and others who could not yet come out to the world after suffering from sexual violence in conflict.

Therefore, we, who have gathered here from around the world, demand the following for end of sexual violence in conflict on this earth and realization of justice for the victims:

1. The Japanese government to admit the crimes of Japanese military sexual slavery, make official apology and legal reparations, establish measure to prevent recurrence, and take all measures for permanent resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue, as the UN human rights organizations have recommended.

1. The UN and the international community to seek and implement all measures to ensure justice for victims of sexual violence in conflict from DR Congo, Uganda, Kosovo to other parts of the world, including their rights to reparations, restoration and guarantees of non-recurrence.

June 18 2019 All participants of the 2019 Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict Week (June 17-19) International Symposium