UN, Malian police sign partnership deal to end sexual violence

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and the Malian police have signed a partnership agreement aimed at stopping sexual violence during conflict.

The agreement is the culmination of a long process of collaboration that began in 2018 between its Office for the Protection of Women and Mali’s National Police Academy, MINUSMA said in a statement on Monday.

The agreement was signed by Controller General of Police Soulaïmane Traoré and Bettina Patricia Boughani, representing the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Mali.

It will enable learners at the police academy to receive module training related to the detection, denunciation, repression and management of cases of sexual violence.

MINUSMA said it hopes that the shared practices will take root in the long term and contribute to the entrenchment of a culture of struggle against impunity and support for victims.

“Even in times of pandemic, we must investigate each case…The perpetrators of these acts must be punished…Let us work to defend the rights and meet the needs of every survivor and to prevent and end these appalling crimes,” Boughani said.

Cases of conflict-related sexual violence have continued to rise, particularly in northern and central Mali.

Some 1,049 cases were reported in 2020, including cases of gang rape, forced marriages, and acts of sexual slavery, with more than 47% involving young girls.

Olajumoke Adeleke/CGTN