S/2017/249
been involved in the abduction and sexual abuse of women and children. Testimony
from women released from ISIL captivity, following military operations in Sirte,
reveals a pattern of sexual assault and slavery, particularly against migrants. Some
of the survivors are pregnant as a result of rape. Women and children rescued from
ISIL captivity have routinely been detained by the authorities in Jawiya prison in
Misrata, in precarious conditions of overcrowding, without women guards. In this
context, a 16-year-old Eritrean girl reported that the detaining authorities denied her
access to an abortion, despite her informing them that she had been raped by an ISIL
fighter.
44. According to the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, women’s rights
defenders, both in Libya and in exile, have received threats of sexual and other
violence. A video showing the gang rape of a woman by a militia operating in
Tripoli known as the Awashir Brigade, was widely circulated, provoking public
outrage. The suspected perpetrator has since been detained; however, the failure to
prevent such acts of sexual violence was among the reasons cited by the former
Deputy Prime Minister, Musa al-Koni, for his resignation in early 2017.
Recommendation
45. I call upon the authorities to review the migration policy of Libya and adopt
protection measures to mitigate the risk of sexual violence in the context of
immigration detention; to implement Security Council resolution 2331 (2016) by
ensuring that those who escape from ISIL captivity are recognized and supported as
victims of terrorism; and to prosecute perpetrators of conflict -related sexual
violence and provide reparations to victims in line with Decree No. 119 (2014).
Mali
46. The ongoing crisis in the northern and central regions, combined with a lack of
services, limited humanitarian access, stigma and fear of reprisals continu es to
impede reporting of conflict-related sexual violence. Few survivors file legal
complaints or seek care, owing to a lack of confidence in legal and medical
institutions following instances of rapists being released from custody and
complainants being pressured to drop their cases. In January 2016, the suspect in a
case concerning the alleged sexual assault of 19 children was released from custody.
In the region of Gao, the parents of a young victim were forced by the examining
magistrate to withdraw their complaint and settle the case out of court. In the case
of a gang rape allegedly committed by three members of the Malian Defence and
Security Forces in Timbuktu, the victim’s father initially filed a complaint, but
withdrew it shortly afterwards without explanation.
47. The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali
(MINUSMA) investigated 23 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2016,
including rape, gang rape, forced prostitution, sexual slavery and forced marriage .
One of the cases was perpetrated by three members of the Malian Defence and
Security Forces, four by elements of the Groupe d’autodéfense des Touaregs Imghad
et leurs alliés, and the others by civilians. Ten of the victims were members of the
Bella community, an ethnic group that has long suffered discrimination. The
incidents took place in the regions of Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal and in a refugee
camp in Mauritania. Humanitarian service providers also recorded five sexual
14/33
17-05090
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents