CANZ STATEMENT: INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF SEXUAL VOILENCE IN CONFLICT
“Breaking the Cycle, Healing the Scars: Addressing the Intergenerational Effects of CRSV”
Statement delivered by H.E. Beth Delaney, Deputy Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
18 June 2025
Thank you Chair. I deliver this statement on behalf of Canada, New Zealand, and my own country, Australia.
We thank Argentina for its leadership and commitment to raising awareness of the intergenerational effects of conflict-related sexual violence.
Chair, conflict-related sexual violence is a grave violation of human rights and international law. It terrorises populations, fractures communities, and perpetuate cycles of trauma. Survivors, including women and girls, men and boys, bear the immediate trauma, but the pain does not end with them – it reverberates across generations, seeping into families, communities, and the very fabric of society, creating a legacy of silence, stigma, and suffering.
On this International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, we must confront the profound, complex and long-lasting intergenerational impacts of conflict-related sexual violence.
Intergenerational trauma undermines social cohesion and trust, making it harder for communities to heal and rebuild after conflict. Children born of rape may be denied legal identity, nationality, or inheritance rights. This legal invisibility can limit access to education, healthcare, reparations and protections.
Chair, as highlighted in the UN Secretary-General’s 2024 report, we are witnessing a disturbing rise in sexual violence in conflict zones which is likely only the tip of the iceberg. These deliberate and despicable tactics of war are not isolated tragedies— they are systemic failures that demand a systemic response.
A systemic response includes strengthening legal frameworks to ensure perpetrators are held accountable through international and domestic legal mechanisms. This includes the Security Council using all tools at its disposal to prevent and respond to all forms of sexual and gender-based violence. It also means supporting survivor-centered approaches that prioritize dignity, agency, and long-term recovery, by ensuring access to justice, reparations, and services that address the full spectrum of harm - including mental health, education, and economic empowerment.
Chair, we must dismantle the structural inequalities and gender-based discrimination that enable such violence to occur. We must strengthen early warning systems and invest in conflict prevention and peacebuilding that prioritizes women’s meaningful leadership, gender equality and human rights.
Prevention is not passive—it requires political will, coordinated action, and survivor-centered approaches. Survivors must be at the heart of our response, not only as recipients of support but as agents of change. Their voices, experiences, and leadership are essential to breaking the cycle of violence and harm.
Let us stand together, not only in solidarity with survivors, but in action, to ensure that no child, no family, and no community ever has to inherit the scars of war.
Thank you.