Sexual violence is becoming more prevalent in conflicts and experts are calling on Australia to hold state and non-state perpetrators accountable.
For the first time, Australia is hosting an international conference on the topic of conflict-related sexual violence, seeking to draw attention to the issue particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.
Experts, advocates, researchers and survivors will discuss patterns of violence in conflict and why so many perpetrators go unpunished at the Justice Denied conference.
Speakers include Australian Ambassador for Gender Equality Stephanie Copus Campbell, Victorian Supreme Court Justice Lesley Taylor and Papua New Guinea social anthropologist Fiona Hukula.
Keynote speaker Jacqui True is director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence against Women and an expert on gender, peace, security and violence against women.
There had been an uptick in the use of violence against women in conflicts since 2014, often as a way of oppressing communities, she said.
"In many cultures, the stigma attaches to the victim not the perpetrator," Professor True said.
"We want to seek accountability to prosecute these crimes and hold state and non-state actors accountable.
"This should not be a type of violence used in war and there should be support for redress to ensure the safety and recovery of survivors."
The conference, being held over two days in Melbourne, aimed to bridge the gap between research, practice and policy making.
Of particular focus would be increasing violence in the Indo-Pacific region, where there are some of the highest rates of conflict as a result of growing economic instability and tribal rivalries.
"Papua New Guinea particularly is highlighted as we've seen a diffusion of conflict-related sexual violence there in a way that was never present before," Prof True said.
"Australia has a really important role to bring attention and support local actors in these sensitive situations to respond to survivors and to drive changes in communities."
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