Asked by: Tony Baldry (Conservative - Banbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to prevent violence against women in the conflict-affected states of South Sudan.
Answered by Mark Simmonds
The United Kingdom is working to prevent violence against women in South Sudan in a number of ways. First, the UK, with the US and Norway (the Troika), is an active member of the peace talks in Addis Ababa and is supporting regional efforts to address the crisis. Secondly, we are supporting the work of the African Union's Commission of Inquiry that will investigate allegations of violence and abuse to ensure accountability. Third, the UK is one of the leading humanitarian donors contributing, around £94 million to date, that will help protect the most vulnerable, especially women and girls. And fourth, and crucially in this regard, South Sudan is a country for engagement for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative. The Government signed the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, and attended the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London on 10-13 June. We will continue to engage the South Sudan Government on how to take this initiative forward.