Massari at the Security Council on Ukraine stated there are two tools available to prevent sexual violence and trafficking of women and minors.
Italy had the floor at the Security Council’s humanitarian meeting on Ukraine, the first organized by the Albanian rotating presidency in the context of its two-year term in the Council (two years for which Italy is carrying out support activities for Albania).
During the meeting devoted to the topic of sexual violence and trafficking of women and children, the Permanent Representative of Italy to the UN Maurizio Massari recalled how Ukrainian women represent the majority of victims of sexual violence and human trafficking in this and all conflicts. Human trafficking constitutes yet another channel of violence and sexual exploitation. “Rape is like military aggression on an individual scale.” The consequences are also felt on the children of the victims, who live a life as displaced persons or refugees, which exposes them to further risks of violence and trafficking, depriving them of a future.
There are two main tools to prevent these war crimes: the first is to strengthen and implement the legal framework for ascertaining responsibilities and bringing the perpetrators to justice; the second is humanitarian assistance to protect women and children from the terrible crimes committed in Ukraine. “We need to use both,” the Ambassador said.
“Obviously the main solution to putting an end to these crimes is to end the armed conflict. I therefore reiterate my appeal to the Russian Federation to stop it.
“We must confront the terrible reality that it is still largely ‘without consequences’: to rape a woman in armed conflict” – continued the Ambassador. “To avert impunity, we must increase the certainty of legal consequences for all those who commit this barbaric war crime.”
For this reason, Italy included human trafficking in conflicts among the priorities of its mandate in the Security Council in 2017, a work that resulted in the unanimous adoption of Resolution 2388 on the fight against human trafficking. Italy also supports the ratification and universal implementation of the UN Palermo Convention and its Protocol on trafficking in persons, and welcomes the collaboration agreement recently signed between Ukraine and the UN on the topic of sexual violence in conflicts.
Finally, when criminal investigations by national or international courts are impossible or ineffective, the General Assembly should be able to create international fact-finding mechanisms to conduct “gender-sensitive” investigations and ensure the collection and preservation of evidence.
