The present report, which covers the period from January to December 2013, is submitted pursuant to paragraph 22 of Security Council resolution 2106 (2013) , in which the Council requested me to submit annual reports on the implementation of resolutions 1820 (2008) , 1888 (2009) , 1960 (2010) and 2106 (2013) with regard to conflict - related sexual violence. The report presents information on parties to conflict credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for acts of rape and other forms of sexual violence. The term “ conflict - related sexual violence ” refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced sterilization and any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity perpetrated against women, men or children with a direct or indirect (temporal, geographical or causal) link to a conflict. This link to conflict may be evident in the profile of the perpetrator, the profile of the victim, the climate of impunity or State collapse, any cross - border dimensions or violations of the terms of a ceasefire agreement. While conflict - related sexual violence may be present in several contexts not mentioned in the current report, the following outlines those countries in which credible information is currently available, including situations of emerging concern.
The report highlights actions taken and challenges faced by States in conflict and post - conflict situations to protect women , men and children from such sexual violence; the implementation of the monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements; the deployment of women ’ s protection advisers; the work of the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict; the efforts of the United Nations system; and recommendations to strengthen efforts to combat this egregious crime.
In the report, appropriate actions are recommended and a list of parties credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of r ape and other forms of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict on the agenda of the Security Council is contained in the annex.
The report should be read in conjunction with my previous reports on the same topic (A/66/657-S/2012/33 and A/67/792-S/2013/149). Preparation of the report involved consultations with the 13 United Nations entities that are members of United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict, United Nations field missions and country teams, concerned Member States and non - governmental organizations. United Nations peacekeeping and political missions, as well as country teams, were the primary sources of information. In the present report , reference is made to the nature and scope of sexual violence in 20 countries.
