Stigma and Justice: Addressing the needs of survivors of sexual violence in conflict zones

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3 December 2015
Speakers: Baroness Joyce Anelay, Erica Hall, Hilary Stauffer, Beini Ye
Chair: Professor Christine Chinkin

This event launched the global policy report No Shame in Justice: Addressing stigma against survivors to end sexual violence in conflict zones (PDF), co-authored by Visiting Fellow Hilary Stauffer and Erica Hall, of World Vision UK.

As the House of Lords Sexual Violence in Conflict Committee considers the UK's policy and practice of preventing sexual violence in conflict, panel members will consider how ending impunity is affected by the stigma faced by survivors. At the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in June 2014, survivors repeatedly called for the same things: ending impunity and ending the stigma they face. While the UK Government's Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative has focused on holding perpetrators accountable for their crimes, for some survivors, stigma can be a barrier to coming forward, and can have a greater impact on their lives.

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Baroness Joyce Anelay was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in August 2014. She was appointed the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict in June 2015. Prior to this she was Chief Whip in the House of Lords and Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms. She was made a Privy Counsellor in 2009. Lady Anelay is a Conservative member of the House of Lords.

Erica Hall joined World Vision UK in 2011 as a Senior Policy Adviser. She is a lawyer with extensive policy experience on issues related to armed conflict, gender and child protection. Her previous experience includes working for both NGOs and the UN. She has worked and conducted research on gender and child protection issues in a wide range of conflict-affected countries. She is the co-author of World Vision's report No Shame in Justice: Addressing stigma against survivors to end sexual violence in conflict zones.

Hilary Stauffer is a Visiting Fellow in the Centre for Women, Peace and Security. She has a decade of experience in the field of human rights, focusing among other areas on diplomacy, counter-terrorism and gender equality.She is the co-author of World Vision's report No Shame in Justice: Addressing stigma against survivors to end sexual violence in conflict zones. In January 2016, Hilary will undertake a project with the United Nations in Iraq, setting up legal aid clinics for victims of sexual violence in refugee camps.

Beini Ye joined REDRESS in 2014 as Post-Conflict Legal Advisor. Previously, she worked as GIZ Civil Peace Service Advisor with Cambodian Defenders Project to support survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime. Since 2012, she has represented victims of gender-based violence at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia as international Civil Party Lawyer. At REDRESS, Ms Ye works on access to justice for victims of conflict-related violence, in particular sexual violence.

Christine Chinkin (chair) is Emerita Professor of International Law and Director of the Centre for Women, Peace and Security