Conflict-related Sexual Violence in Asia-Pacific: Putting Victims/Survivors First

The Government of the United Kingdom Foreign & Commonwealth Office and UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific have joined together to work towards better addressing the needs of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) victims/survivors and their children, including through National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security (NAPs-WPS).

Focusing on Nepal, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste, this Report considers the needs of victims/survivors to receive healthcare and psychosocial support, economic opportunities and security of housing, access to justice, and measures to combat stigma. It evaluates some of the obstacles to comprehensively addressing these needs in conflict and post-conflict settings, whether through NAPs-WPS or other mechanisms, and provides case studies to consider the local realities of victims/survivors and their children.

The publication is divided into three parts.

• Part 1 is an academic analysis that maps the responsiveness of NAPs-WPS in Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines and Timor-Leste to victims/survivors and their children, and identifies opportunities for interventions to be strengthened.
• Part 2 provides an overview of key challenges to addressing the needs of victims/survivors and considers a practical approach for policymakers and advocates going forward.
• Part 3 presents case studies from Nepal as a country that has a NAP-WPS, and Sri Lanka as a country that has not yet adopted one, to consider context-specific approaches to meeting the needs of victims/survivors and their children.

Two annexes to the publication provide an overview of the discussions and recommendations of a Regional Expert Group Meeting held in Bangkok in January 2017, and a National Expert Group Meeting held in Kathmandu in February 2017 that have informed the findings in this report. These papers are intended for the use of all actors in responding to CRSV and highlight the need for policies and programmes to adopt a more victim-centered approach that better reflects the voices of victims/survivors and delivers meaningful and impactful improvements to their lives.