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Introduction

Last edited: July 03, 2013

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  • This section summarizes the international normative framework related to the responsibility to address violence against women and girls in conflict-affected settings. It includes a review of international and regional frameworks and the norms emerging from the Security Council and the international humanitarian community, as well as the structures that support them. 
  • While States have the first and foremost responsibility to protect their citizens, the international community has an obligation to step in when States are unwilling or unable to meet their protective duties.
  • Over the past two decades, violence against women has been progressively adopted as a central concern by the Security Council and international humanitarian and peacekeeping actors, a significant shift that has raised the profile of this issue in international policymaking.
  • All actors working on prevention of and response to violence against women in conflict and post-conflict settings have a responsibility as experts and advocates to familiarize themselves with the mandates that emanate from international law, resolutions of the Security Council, and the humanitarian community; act in accordance with them; and guide others—states, communities and individuals—to meet their obligations to promote and protect human rights.