Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure progress on delivering the thematic strand of stigma contained in the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative and (b) support faith leaders and faith groups to (i) help and (ii) care for women from minority religious communities that have experienced sexual violence in conflict.

The Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) is part of the UK's Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan (NAP), which includes our strategy for tackling and preventing conflict-related sexual violence. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be developing an additional three-year strategy on PSVI, which remains a top priority for the British Government. Our PSVI objectives will remain to champion wider restorative justice for survivors and hold perpetrators to account; support all survivors and children born of conflict-related sexual violence, and tackle the stigma they face including those from religious minority communities; and prevent sexual violence in conflict.

We are working with international faith and belief leaders to issue a 'Declaration of Humanity' which calls for the end of sexual violence in conflict and to tackle the stigma so often faced by survivors. We will also provide support to faith leaders and faith groups by training them on how to document and respond to conflict-related sexual violence, and will strengthen access to holistic care for all survivors, including for women from minority religious communities who have experienced sexual violence. We will ensure that the three-year strategy is survivor-centred, working closely with the UK's PSVI Survivor Champions throughout its development.