On Tuesday June 10th, PUC had the great honor to host a special event organized by the British Embassy-Phnom Penh entitled, End of Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Sexual violence is not an evitable part of war. In September 2013, the UK Foreign Secretary, William Hague, launched the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, to which two-thirds of UN member countries, including Cambodia, have joined. The Declaration is an action oriented initiative which expresses a shared commitment and determination to see an end of the use of rape and sexual violence as weapons of war.

This week, Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Angelina Jolie, and the UK Foreign Secretary, William Hague, are hosting a global summit in London with the aim of turning political will into practical action. These efforts include launching the first international protocol on the documentation and investigation of sexual violence in conflict with the goal of ensuring that perpetrators of such crimes are brought to justice.

Another focus of the summit is the insurance that national laws will assist, in alliance to international standards, to enable successful prosecution.

In support of the global summit, the UN hosted a series of events around the world, including this one at PUC, to shine a spotlight on the issue of sexual violence in conflict and to encourage debate on the issue. The event, which was open to the public, included a number of distinguish panelists who shared their perspectives on the particular lesson that Cambodia has to offer. They were Professor Kasumi, lecturer of Gender Study; Mr. Alastair Hilton, founding member of First Step Cambodia; Ms. Sherin Shefik, Foreign Office Legal Directorate; and Mr. Tong Soprach, freelance consultant and social affairs columnist for the Phnom Penh Post.