Check against delivery! 

Thank you, dear President, Honourable Members,  

We will be speaking about the horrific wars taking place today where sexual violence is being used as a weapon. 

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), last year Médecins Sans Frontières helped treat over 25 thousand victims and survivors of sexual violence across the country. That is more than two people every hour. 

In September this year, 80% of displaced women in camps had reportedly suffered rape.  

Sudan faces the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world. 25 million people who need support right now – and the most basic needs including food and water.  

But here too, rape and gender-based violence are also used as tactics on the battlefield. 6.7 million people are at risk of gender-based violence, with displaced, refugee and migrant women and girls particularly vulnerable.  

The two main parties to the conflict are accused of sexual violence, with Rapid Support Forces fighters and allied militias having committed sexual violence on a large scale, including multiple occurrences of sexual slavery.  

Sexual violence in conflict is a war crime. But in the DRC and Sudan, it is part of daily life. It is underreported, and likely to be far worse than we imagine. Whatever the European Union can do to change this, we must do. 

In the DRC, as we support regional peace initiatives – the Luanda and Nairobi processes – we have also sanctioned individuals who are known serious human rights violators, to complement United Nations sanctions. 

The current list includes 23 people and one entity. Seven of these are linked to armed groups who have committed sexual violence. They are subject to travel bans, which prevent them from entering or transiting through European [Union] Member States, and an asset freeze. European Union citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them.  

 And we sanction those who sustain, support or benefit from the armed conflict, instability or insecurity in the country. 

I want us to constantly review these lists and be ready to add to them, with the agreement of all European Union Member States. 

In Sudan, we are also pushing for peace. Together with our regional and international partners, including the African Union and the United Nations, we call for an immediate ceasefire and a sustainable political solution to the conflict.  

But there must be accountability for crimes committed too. This is also a hugely important part of rebuilding, post-war.  

We just issued the third package of sanctions yesterday, in order to achieve these objectives. 

We will continue to support the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC). It must be free to investigate and prosecute those responsible for sexual violence and other atrocities in Sudan, as it did in the 2000s, when the ICC issued arrest warrants for crimes committed in Darfur.

As we do in the DRC, in Sudan we should also support additional sanctions against the perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses. 

For both the DRC and Sudan, the European Union will remain a provider of humanitarian support. 

In the DRC, the European Union provided over €112 million of funding for humanitarian aid this year. In response to the widespread prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence in the country, the European Union is implementing a strategy specifically to address gender-based violence with a budget of over €12 million.  

In Sudan, we have increased funding to humanitarian organisations tackling gender-based violence operating on the ground, to almost €4 million in the last two years.  

At the same time, we are working with our partners to ensure that their programmes integrate protection services so that survivors receive adequate medical care, psychological support, and any other relevant protection support. 

 Globally, the European Union has provided over €50 million in the last two years alone to tackle gender-based violence in emergencies. 

 Looking forward, the European Union must remain committed to a strong global response to conflict-related sexual violence.  

 First, it is global condemnation and a global response that will send the clearest message to perpetrators that their actions will be punished.  

Second, this requires strong legal systems to hold criminals to account. Globally, 4 in 5 women and girls live in countries without substantive legal protection against gender-based violence. 

Third, it requires more humanitarian funding that explicitly addresses gender-based violence. We need to do much better than spending a meagre 1 percent of global humanitarian funding to tackle violence against women and girls. 

Finally, for victims, the European Union will keep funding initiatives across the globe that provide survivors with healthcare, legal assistance, and psychological support.  

We call on others to do so as well. For victims, wherever you are, the European Union’s message is simple: you are not alone. 

Honourable Members, 

We must honour the courage of survivors by ensuring that their suffering is met with action and that their resilience inspires change. 

Thank you. 

Link to video (starting 1:09): https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-265242 

Closing statements 

Thank you for this debate.  

I was also in this plenary when Dr Mukwege got the Sakharov prize, and I remember how he explained what is really happening on the ground. It was so devastating that I could not sleep afterwards, because the descriptions were just so horrific. 

It is clear that the European Union is resolute in its condemnation of sexual violence.  

If we look at the international humanitarian law, it also says very clearly that this is a war crime. It has to be prosecuted as such. 

This requires strong legal frameworks through which perpetrators can be held to account. There, I definitely think that we need to work harder. 

The European Union will continue to collaborate with the United Nations, the NGOs, and other stakeholders to build capacity to do this.  

In the DRC, the European Union has been supporting several international partners including United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Save the Children, Solidarités International, Danish Church Aid – all of which have numerous local Congolese partners [contributing] to the response and whose capacity is being built up with our support. 

At the same time, we also focus on supporting survivors with the initiatives that provide survivors with healthcare, legal assistance, and psychological support.  

The problem is it is just so massive. This is really horrific.  

I want to underline my commitment in this role to do more. I want the European Union to contribute to a stronger global response to conflict-related sexual violence. 

This also includes, but is not limited to, our Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime. Here we target those responsible for serious violations.  

But it is clear that this is not a fight that any nation or institution that can take it alone. It requires a united, global effort to strengthen accountability mechanisms, enhance protections for vulnerable populations, and build societies to uphold the dignity and equality of all people. 

I really here call on the men also to understand the worry and the problem, how big it is. I was counting how many men spoke on this topic – the majority were women. I know that in this plenary, the majority [of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs)] are not women. 

As long as this is a female issue, then there will not be a change. Please, men, speak up. It can be your mothers, it can be your sisters, it can be your daughters that are attacked here. 

Thank you.  

Link to video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-265244