Walking the talk on SGBV: an implementation checklist to narrow the gaps between international law and domestic practice

Nov 25, 2021 | Rachael Kitching, Vanessa Murphy, Kelisiana Thynne
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Thirty years ago today, 23 women launched the ‘16 Days of Action’ against gender-based violence.[1] Each year, this campaign begins on the 25th of November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) and ends on the 10th of December (Human Rights Day) to symbolically link these two days. In the three decades since, much has been achieved – we now have many international commitments and plans of action to eliminate gender-based violence. A critical component of these is the modification of domestic legislation.In this post to mark the 30th campaign of the 16 Days of Action, Rachael Kitching, Vanessa Murphy and Kelisiana Thynne of the ICRC legal division unpack the ICRC’s Checklist on the Domestic Implementation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Prohibiting Sexual Violence. The Checklist sets out State responsibilities regarding the criminal repression of sexual violence as a war crime, as well as examples of good practice for service accessibility and special measures of protection. It presents easy-to-follow guidance to assist States and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to identify and address legislative gaps.