UN / SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON TORTURE

The Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Edwards, has urged States worldwide to fundamentally rethink their approach to addressing sexual violence in wartime and other security crises. UNIFEED

• Video Length: 00:02:02
• Production Date: 25 October 2024
• Asset Language: English
• Subject Topical: TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL TREATMENT; SEXUAL VIOLENCE; CONFLICT
• MAMS Id: 3291295
• Parent Id: 3291295
• Alternate Title: unifeed241025d

Description

STORY: UN / SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON TORTURE
TRT: 02:02
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 25 OCTOBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters

25 OCTOBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Alice Jill Edwards, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment:
“The reality is that sexual torture is not only committed against women and girls, they still bear the great brunt of this, but recent conflicts have provided ample evidence to show that men and boys, as well as persons of LGBTIQ backgrounds, are also affected, children, included, as well as soldiers and civilians. So, the torture framework is not an exclusive framework. It is an inclusive framework, and therefore we should see the proper accounting for such crimes.”
4. Wide shot, press briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Alice Jill Edwards, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment:
“Sexual violence crimes are either under reported or under investigated. It's because of the shame and stigma attached to these types of violations. And what is very liberating about calling these violations torture is that there is no shame in torture. Victims of torture do not feel shamed. The community does not shame victims of torture. Often, they are embraced by the community as survivors of the conflict, as heroes, etc. So, in reframing sexual violence and sexual torture, I believe this will redirect that shame from the victims to where it should belong, which is on the perpetrators.”
6. Med shot, journalist
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Alice Jill Edwards, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment:
“What we're seeing is obviously increased rates of torture because of increased rates of armed conflict, 120 conflicts going on in the world right now, which puts people at enhanced risk of being a victim of either threats or actual torture.”
8. Wide shot, end of press briefing

Storyline

The Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Edwards, has urged States worldwide to fundamentally rethink their approach to addressing sexual violence in wartime and other security crises. In her report to the UN General Assembly, the expert argued that the legal framework for torture and other cruelty offers substantial advantages over current approaches to combatting sexual violence, particularly for victims and survivors.

Briefing reporters in New York City today (Oct 25) Edwards said, “the reality is that sexual torture is not only committed against women and girls, they still bear the great brunt of this, but recent conflicts have provided ample evidence to show that men and boys, as well as persons of LGBTIQ backgrounds, are also affected, children, included, as well as soldiers and civilians. So, the torture framework is not an exclusive framework. It is an inclusive framework, and therefore we should see the proper accounting for such crimes.”

Torture is unequivocally prohibited under international law and neither superior orders, nor any form of amnesty can justify it. Edwards highlighted that there are no time limits on prosecutions or rehabilitation for torture survivors and reinforced the need for accountability.

The expert said, “sexual violence crimes are either under reported or under investigated. It's because of the shame and stigma attached to these types of violations. And what is very liberating about calling these violations torture is that there is no shame in torture. Victims of torture do not feel shamed. The community does not shame victims of torture. Often, they are embraced by the community as survivors of the conflict, as heroes, etc. So, in reframing sexual violence and sexual torture, I believe this will redirect that shame from the victims to where it should belong, which is on the perpetrators.”

The Special Rapporteur also emphasized the importance of best practices in evidence-gathering and investigations, as well as the need for well-funded and accessible rehabilitation programs.

In her speech to the General Assembly, the expert called on all States to adopt a comprehensive approach to eradicate sexual violence in war by leveraging the robust legal framework surrounding torture.

Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent of any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.