Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ring-fence enhanced amounts of aid for survivors of sexual violence in conflict.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK Government's determination to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) around the world is resolute. Through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) the UK is committed to driving international action to support survivors, bring the perpetrators of these horrific crimes to justice, and end impunity.
The PSVI Programme has a £3.85 million budget for financial year 25/26 and allocations for future years will be announced in the normal way in due course.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to increase the amount of aid for survivors of sexual violence in conflict.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK Government's determination to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) around the world is resolute. Through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) the UK is committed to driving international action to support survivors, bring the perpetrators of these horrific crimes to justice, and end impunity.
The PSVI Programme has a £3.85 million budget for financial year 25/26 and allocations for future years will be announced in the normal way in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 18 November (HL11601), whether they will now answer the question put: namely, what support, if any, they have offered or provided to the authorities of Israel through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative to strengthen prevention, documentation, and investigation of sexual violence in detention settings.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
In December 2024, a member of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative Team of Experts was deployed to scope options on how the UK could best add value to the international response to conflict related sexual violence (CRSV) in Israel and Palestine, including support for the Israeli authorities, multilateral organisations and civil society, and survivors of CRSV.
Since that deployment, the UK has provided £3 million to the UN Population Fund to support the delivery of three new women and girls' safe spaces and shelters, the distribution of 50,000 dignity kits and 200,000 menstrual hygiene packs, and the strengthening of local capacity to support those affected by CRSV in Gaza.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Palestinian Authority through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative about reports of sexual violence against Israeli hostages in Gaza; and what support, if any, they have provided to Palestine to strengthen the prevention of sexual violence.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided on 19 December in response to Question HL12164.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have offered support in improving prison conditions through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative to the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo following reports of rapes at Makala Prison.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
In total, the UK's Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) has supported over 1,000 survivors of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to rebuild their lives, and access justice, and we continue to raise human rights violations and prison conditions with the Government of DRC, including the mass rapes that took place at Makala prison in September 2024.
In her role as a supporter of PSVI, the Duchess of Edinburgh raised the ongoing investigation into those rapes during her visit to the DRC in October, and secured a commitment from Prime Minister, Judith Suminwa, that the DRC Ministry of Justice will be pursuing accountability in these cases.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the government of Somalia through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative about evidence of sexual violence by the Somali National Army; and what support, if any, they have provided to the government of Somalia to prevent further sexual violence.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK remains concerned by the human rights situation in Somalia, including conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), and regularly raises these concerns with the Somali Government. Through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI), the UK provides funding to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict in Somalia to strengthen the capacity of Somalia's national security sector to prevent CRSV.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support, if any, they have offered or provided to the authorities of Israel through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative to strengthen prevention, documentation, and investigation of sexual violence in detention settings.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We are deeply concerned by reports of the mistreatment and sexual violence against detainees. We unequivocally condemn sexual violence in Palestine, in Israel, and wherever it occurs in the world. The UK has consistently called for all reports to be fully investigated to ensure justice for victims and survivors. We have repeatedly made private and public representations on the treatment of detainees with our Israeli counterparts. The UK continues to reiterate calls for Israel to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities. We believe it is critical that the ICRC is given regular access to detainees to deliver on their independent visiting role, as enshrined within the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to deploy experts from the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative to support the documentation of sexual violence and the protection of survivors in Sudan and neighbouring countries.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is appalled at the severe impact of the conflict in Sudan on women and girls, including widespread sexual violence.
Through our leadership roles at the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council, we have championed evidence collection and accountability. On 6 October, the UK led efforts to renew the mandate of the UN Fact-Finding Mission (FFM), the only independent mechanism preserving evidence of atrocities, including conflict-related sexual violence. We also fund a specialist Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) investigator within the FFM and are deploying a UK secondee to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) Darfur investigation.
On 1 November, the Foreign Secretary announced an additional £5 million to support critical humanitarian services in Sudan, £2 million of which will be specifically allocated to bolster responses which focus on supporting the survivors of rape and sexual violence. This is in addition to the £120 million in UK funding already allocated for Sudan this year, including support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
We directly support women and girls through our programming, including the Women's Integrated Sexual Health programme which provides sexual and reproductive services to women, girls, persons living with disability and men, with UK aid delivered in camps for IDPs and elsewhere. Through our Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) programme, the UK is providing an additional £4.95 million until March 2026 to support 100,000 women and girls with a range of services to prevent and respond to FGM, child marriage and gender-based violence. This brings the total UK support delivered through this programme to £19.95 million.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of violence committed against women from minority communities in Syria, including Alawite, Christian, Druze, Kurdish, and Turkmen groups, given the UK’s commitments under UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We have consistently advocated for an inclusive political transition and underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians, including women, and an improved response to sectarian violence. The Foreign Secretary raised these issues with the Syrian Government during his recent visit to Damascus and offered UK support. Syria remains a focus country in the UK's 5th National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, guiding our efforts in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1325. UK funding supports Syrian women's rights organisations to promote gender equality, strengthen women's roles in peacebuilding, and increase their participation in political and public life. Thirteen years on from the launch of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative, the UK is proud of its leadership on this issue and continues to fund programmes in Syria which document human rights violations and support the trial and convictions of perpetrators of these crimes.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Syria regarding the protection of women from ethnic and religious minority communities; and how these efforts reflect the UK’s obligations under the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We have consistently advocated for an inclusive political transition and underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians, including women, and an improved response to sectarian violence. The Foreign Secretary raised these issues with the Syrian Government during his recent visit to Damascus and offered UK support. Syria remains a focus country in the UK's 5th National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, guiding our efforts in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1325. UK funding supports Syrian women's rights organisations to promote gender equality, strengthen women's roles in peacebuilding, and increase their participation in political and public life. Thirteen years on from the launch of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative, the UK is proud of its leadership on this issue and continues to fund programmes in Syria which document human rights violations and support the trial and convictions of perpetrators of these crimes.