Rights expert calls sexual violence as torture to strengthen legal protections

By Anjali Sharma

UNITED NATIONS – UN human rights expert on torture on Friday said that sexual violence committed in wartime should be recognized within the framework of the Convention Against Torture to ensure prosecution benefits from a robust legal foundation.

Nargiz Shekinskaya, Alice Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, discussed her latest report  being presented to the General Assembly urged that sexual violence in conflict be recognized under the Convention against Torture, in light of a surge in sexual torture across global conflicts.

“What we are seeing in the more than 120 armed conflicts that are going on in the world right now is that there is a high prevalence and intensity of sexual forms of torture being committed in different armed conflicts, taking different guises, for different purposes, but nonetheless affecting not only the direct victims but their families and society as a whole,” she said.

She highlighted how torture fosters hatred and obstructs peace.

Ms. Edwards described that sexual torture is “one of the most egregious kinds” of torture, causing profound physical, psychological, and socio-economic harm. She emphasized that States must fulfill their absolute obligations to prohibit torture in all forms, including sexual torture, both in times of peace and conflict.

She reflected on broader anti-torture efforts, Ms. Edwards praised the Convention Against Torture’s framework as an essential roadmap for eradicating all forms of torture. The “torture framework,” she explained, bypasses irrelevant questions of consent, recognized torture’s severity, and applies inclusively across genders and roles.

Ms. Edwards added that if sexual violence was considered within the Convention no limitations could be applied on investigations, as well as no amnesties, nor immunities, thus providing a stronger and more inclusive legal structure for prosecuting such crimes.