Sexual violence is not just one of many scourges of war. It ruins lives, destroys livelihoods destabilizes communities, and can threaten the restoration of peace and security. The Subcommittee is convinced that non-state armed groups and some national armed forces employ sexual violence deliberately to target, terrorize and displace populations in order to gain military or other advantage. In other situations of crisis, sexual violence is used as a tool of repression and control by state security forces and non-state actors. The Subcommittee, therefore, believes that it is important for the Government of Canada to further enhance Canada’s leadership role in the global fight against sexual violence in situations of conflict and crisis.

Based on the evidence it heard, the Subcommittee puts forward the following recommendations to the Government of Canada:

Recommendation 1

That the Government of Canada continue to make the promotion and protection of women’s human rights a foreign policy priority, and that it work to strengthen women’s participation in securing, maintaining and consolidating international peace and security.

Recommendation 2

That the Government of Canada continue to take a leadership role in international efforts to foster the effective implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security in the context of United Nations operations and in United Nations member states.

Recommendation 3

That the Government of Canada continue to speak out clearly and strongly, on a consistent basis, in support of survivors of sexual violence and against their stigmatization and marginalization in society.

Recommendation 4

That the Government of Canada continue its important efforts to combat forced and early marriage around the world, and that, in connection with this work, Canada consider ways to generate international action to improve the situation of conflict-affected girls forced into marriage or sexual slavery by armed groups.

Recommendation 5

That the Government of Canada continue to express its expectation to the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that the latter take concrete action to halt the systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. In particular, Canada should press the Congolese government to make progress in the following areas:

• reducing gender inequality by ensuring the full and equal participation of women in all aspects of society, including in peace and security-building activities and in economic activities;
• strengthening the justice system to hold perpetrators of sexual violence to account and to remove barriers to access to justice;
• improving disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programs to ensure they address and respond to the needs of women and girls formerly associated with armed groups;
• continuing work to reform the security sector, while ensuring that the Congolese armed forces act in compliance with international humanitarian law and cooperate fully with United Nations forces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo; and,
• bringing natural resource extraction under the transparent and accountable regulation of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a manner that respects the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and which ensures that the Congolese people are the primary beneficiaries of the country’s vast resource wealth.

Recommendation 6

That the Government of Canada convey to the parties to the armed conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, through appropriate channels, the important role that survivors of sexual violence play in ensuring long-term security and justice; and that the Government of Canada continue to call for all parties to the conflict to ensure the active and equal participation of women in the resolution of the conflict.

Recommendation 7

That the Government of Canada encourage the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to undertake a review of national law with a view to repealing or abolishing any legislation, regulation or other law that continues to discriminate against women or girls.

Recommendation 8

That, in its international assistance programming in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Government of Canada consider continuing to support initiatives aimed at providing medical and other forms of assistance to survivors of sexual violence; that the apportionment of Canadian assistance be reviewed with a view to considering the possibility of funding smaller, grass-roots programs ─ potentially in partnership with larger non-governmental organizations; and that the Government of Canada also consider continuing its support for security and justice sector reform initiatives, prosecutions of alleged perpetrators of sexual violence, and extractive resources governance and tracing regimes.

Recommendation 9

That, in its international assistance programming in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Government of Canada consider the possibility of supporting initiatives that provide training in fundraising, governance and accounting techniques to local non-governmental organizations in order to properly equip them to effectively lead local advocacy efforts.

Recommendation 10

That, in its international assistance programming, the Government of Canada consider ways to work with United Nations agencies and like-minded donor countries to strengthen partnerships with local organizations involved in addressing the problem of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in other situations of conflict and crisis.

Recommendation 11

That the Government of Canada continue to take appropriate steps to protect and support those who work with survivors of sexual violence in particular, and human rights defenders more generally, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in other situations of conflict and crisis.

Recommendation 12

That the Government of Canada continue working to ensure that Canada’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security is implemented in all relevant policies and programming; that, in order to provide timely and robust public progress reports, the Government of Canada continue to make efforts to address challenges associated with collecting data and reporting across government departments, which undertake their activities under diverse mandates, policies and processes; and that the Government of Canada consult with civil society organizations during evaluations and reviews of the National Action Plan.