Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 1 July (HL1363), what changes have resulted from the initiatives listed as milestones in the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative Strategy 2022–2025 in relation to (1) survivors’ access to support and reparations, (2) the investigation, prosecution and conviction of perpetrators, and (3) the adoption and implementation of relevant national laws and policies.

The Government remains resolute in its commitment to preventing and responding to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), supporting survivors and tackling impunity.

Since July 2024, UK support has strengthened survivor-centred justice and national capacity to investigate and prosecute CRSV. Most recently, Ukraine adopted new Instructions for the pre-trial investigation of CRSV, developed with UK funding and expertise, which establish consistent, mandatory and survivor-centred standards across relevant Ukrainian investigating and prosecuting authorities.

UK support has helped thousands of survivors and children affected by CRSV to access redress, including through support to the Global Survivors Fund. It has contributed to vital legislative changes in Bosnia Herzegovina and Kosovo, and the opening of a judicial macro-case on sexual violence crimes in Colombia. We are also strengthening survivor participation in our work through our Survivor Advisory Group and Survivor Champions.

We are building on the progress of the 2022-25 Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Strategy, with a continued focus on prevention, survivor support, accountability and strengthening international action to tackle CRSV.