Calendar : June 2026
INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT
🌸 INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF
SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT
🗓️ June 19 • ⏱️ 6 min read • ✍️ Newspaper Review • 🔍 Advanced SEO
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Every June 19, the world stops its gaze on one of the most aberrant crimes that persist in areas of armed conflict: sexual violence as a weapon of war. A crime that mainly affects women and girls, which operates in the shadow of impunity and which, despite decades of international denunciation, continues to be documented in dozens of active conflicts around the planet.
📌 What is commemorated and why on June 19?
On June 19, 2015, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed this date as the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, through Resolution A/RES/69/293. The threefold objective of the commemoration is to raise awareness of the urgency of ending these crimes, to honor the victims and survivors, and to pay tribute to those who risk – and in many cases give – their lives to eradicate them.
The choice of 19 June is no coincidence: it commemorates the adoption, exactly seven years earlier, of the historic Security Council Resolution 1820 (19 June 2008), the first to officially recognise sexual violence as a tactic of war and an obstacle to the consolidation of international peace.
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⚖️ 10-20 unreported cases for each reported case |
👩 95% of documented victims are women and girls (2023) |
🌍 +56 active armed conflicts in the world |
Sources: UN — Annual Report of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict (2024)
🔍 What does sexual violence in conflict cover?
The term "conflict-related sexual violence" is deliberately broad. According to the UN, it includes: rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancies, forced abortions, forced sterilization and forced marriages. It also includes trafficking in persons when it is committed in war contexts for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
These forms of violence are exercised against women, men, girls and boys, although the statistics are concluding: women and girls represent at least 95% of the victims documented in areas of active conflict (2023). And the real numbers are incalculably higher: for every reported rape, professionals on the ground estimate between 10 and 20 cases that are never reported or documented.
📜 Chronology: from silence to international recognition
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2008 |
The UN Security Council passes Resolution 1820, recognizing for the first time sexual violence as a tactic of war and a threat to international peace. |
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2009 |
Resolution 1882 incorporates sexual violence against children as a priority issue and calls for concrete action plans. |
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2015 |
The General Assembly, by Resolution A/RES/69/293, proclaims 19 June as the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. |
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2016 |
First official celebration. The Security Council passes Resolution 2331, linking human trafficking, terrorism and sexual violence for the first time. |
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2026 |
The 12th official edition is celebrated with an event at the UN Headquarters in New York, co-organized by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. |
🌐 The impact of the pandemic and the current crises
The outbreak of COVID-19 starkly exposed the fragilities of the international protection system. Domestic confinement and mobility restrictions severely hindered the ability of victims to report sexual violence. Pre-existing structural, institutional and socio-cultural barriers deepened, and accountability for victim protection was seriously compromised.
Today, conflicts such as those in Gaza, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia and South Sudan continue to be active scenarios where sexual violence is systematically documented. In conflict zones, girls are 90% less likely to access education than boys, and are particularly vulnerable to child marriage, labour slavery and forced recruitment.
⚖️ Impunity: the central obstacle
Combating impunity is, according to the UN, the fundamental pillar of any deterrence and prevention strategy. Without accountability, there is no reparation for victims. International resolutions have made progress in placing perpetrators on sanctions lists and strengthening justice mechanisms, but the gap between the normative framework and the reality on the ground remains enormous.
In 2016, Security Council Resolution 2331 took a historic step by linking human trafficking, sexual violence, terrorism and transnational organized crime in a single legal instrument for the first time, recognizing that victims of these crimes committed by terrorist groups are eligible for official redress.
🖼️ Additional Recommended Image (UN):
📢 How to act? Resources and support networks
The international community – governments, civil society organizations and citizens – has an active role to play in the response. Reporting, making visible and supporting organizations working in conflict zones are concrete and urgent actions.
🔗 Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict:
https://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/
🔗 Official UN website — International Day 2026:
https://www.un.org/es/observances/end-sexual-violence-in-conflict-day
"Sexual violence in conflict is not inevitable. It's a choice. And like all elections, it can — and must — be eradicated."
— Pramila Patten, UN Special Representative
📚 Sources and references
• LA NACION — Lifestyle Ephemeris (19/06/2020)
→ lanacion.com.ar/lifestyle/por-que-se-celebra-dia-internacional-eliminacion-nid2381761
• United Nations — International Observatory on the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict
→ un.org/es/observances/end-sexual-violence-in-conflict-day
• Institute of International Relations — UNLP (2019)
• Coordination for Gender Equality — UNAM (2024)
• National Human Rights Commission — Mexico
• Women's Organization, Inter-Union Confederation (2024)