Western Law professor Valerie Oosterveld has worked for more than 15 years on the issue of gender-based violence in war, so it was natural that she was deeply involved in the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. The summit, held from June 10-13, 2014 in London, England was co-hosted by U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague and special envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Angelina Jolie.
At the summit, Oosterveld served as an expert and organized a very successful event highlighting the lessons learned by the Special Court for Sierra Leone, an international criminal tribunal, on the prosecution of sexual violence crimes. Oosterveld also co-hosted a presummit roundtable in Ottawa.
The summit was the largest gathering ever on the subject of sexual violence in war, with 1,700 expert delegates and 129 country delegations. U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, and Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Baird, were just some of the 79 senior state officials present.
Participants heard harrowing first-hand accounts, including one from a woman named Marie, who was tending crops when rebels invaded her village. After she was gang-raped in succession, she was viewed as “tainted” by her fellow villagers and her family and she suffered severe health complications with no medical help. Unfortunately, this type of story was heard all too often at the summit.
“The summit led to some practical results – for example, the launch of an international protocol on the investigation of sexual violence in conflict – along with concerted action to change stories like Marie’s,” said Oosterveld.
UN special representative on sexual violence in conflict, Zainab Bangura, captured the spirit of the gathering: “We demand justice, accountability for survivors and reparations. This is the best moment we have ever had and we must not let it pass by. Survivors are our moral compass and must be our inspiration.”
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