Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Hawa Bangura and Assistant-Secretary-General and Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis Kevin Kennedy denounced this situation in a joint statement on the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Nearly five years since the start of the conflict in Syria, women have experienced its consequences, including sexual violence, they stated.
Bangura and Kennedy said that in areas controlled by extremist groups, women and girls fear arrest and physical punishment for not adhering to rules imposed by the ISIL and other terrorist groups.
Those groups have abducted and subjected women, particularly from ethnic and religious minorities, to horrendous abuse, including sexual slavery, they said.
Senior UN officials called on all parties to prevent all violence targeted at women in Syria, and urged that all perpetrators be held to account.
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PL-37/MNA
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