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Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Ms. Pramila Patten Concludes Visit to Iraq and Stresses Need to Do More to Protect and Support Victims of Daesh’s Sexual Violence Crimes
(Baghdad/New York, 05 March 2018)
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Pramila Patten, concluded an eight-day visit to Iraq during which she heard first-hand the heart wrenching accounts of survivors of Daesh’s sexual violence. She stressed the need to ensure that survivors of conflict-related sexual violence are fully protected and that perpetrators of these horrendous crimes are brought to justice.
Special Representative Patten met with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and with other senior Government officials, at federal, regional and provincial levels in Baghdad, Erbil and Mosul. She also engaged directly with survivors, civil society groups and with Christian, Shia, Sunni, Turkmen Shia and Yazidi religious leaders. A strong message from the survivors relating to the plight of women and girls still under captivity as well as their missing family members was taken up with the Government by Special Representative Patten. She enquired about ongoing efforts to locate those missing and urged the authorities to expedite their rescue.
Many of the women who remain displaced expressed serious safety concerns regarding their return to their homes and shared their fear of reprisals. “I call on all religious and tribal leaders to welcome back survivors of sexual violence and their children, and the Government to find legal avenues to recognize their children as Iraqi citizens,” said Ms. Patten. “It is essential for all to work towards shifting the stigma from the victims to the perpetrators. I also urge the Government to ensure that women and girls who were victims of Daesh are not wrongfully perceived as being their ‘affiliates’.”
During discussion with Iraqi Officials on the question of justice and accountability, while acknowledging the efforts of the Government, the Special Representative stressed the importance of ensuring that alleged perpetrators are held accountable not only for the crime of terrorism but for the full extent of the sexual violence crimes perpetrated on Iraqi women and children including abduction, rape, sexual slavery and forced marriages. She noted in this regard that her Office stands ready to work directly with Iraqi judges, investigators and prosecutors together with the new Investigative Team established under UNSCR 2379. Her Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence also stands ready to provide support in the area of legislative reform in particular to criminalize war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Iraq.
In Mosul, where thousands of Iraqi women and girls were subjected to rape, sexual slavery and other grave forms of sexual violence perpetrated by Daesh, Ms. Patten was joined by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. They both called on the authorities of Ninewa Governorate to address the pressing needs of survivors in ongoing reconstruction efforts, including through the significant scaling-up of medical services, mental health and psychosocial support and economic livelihoods opportunities.
Ms. Patten’s visit from 26 February to 5 March 2018 was at the invitation of the Government, pursuant to the United Nations/Iraq Joint Communiqué to Prevent and Address Conflict-Related Sexual Violence of 2016. Her visit marks the endorsement of the Joint Communiqué’s Implementation Plan featuring specific measures related to justice and accountability, survivor-centered services and engagement with civil society organizations, religious/tribal leaders and the media. “The development of this implementation plan demonstrates the continuous commitment of the Government of Iraq to address the plight of the victims of conflict-related sexual violence,” stressed Special Representative Patten.
“While I congratulate the Government of Iraq for its military defeat of Daesh, I urge the Government to pursue its efforts to rescue those missing, to ensure justice and reparations to all victims of the heinous crimes of sexual violence and to include women in its peacebuilding, reconciliation and reconstruction initiatives,” stated Special Representative Patten.
Photos by UNAMI PIO.
Riley Neldam as Florizel, Brenda Joyner as Perdita, Therese Diekhans as Paulina, Alyson Bedford as Hermione, and Michael Patten as Leontes in Seattle Shakespeare Company's 2012 Wooden O production of "The Winter's Tale." Photo by Alan Alabastro
St Margaret Pattens, Rood Lane, London EC3M 1HS.
The Stained Glass Windows on the south wall were commissioned by ‘The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers’ and ‘The Worshipful Company of Basketmakers’.
Detail: Badge of Worshipful Company of Basketmakers.
By Matthew Lloyd-Winder - 2000.
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CHURCH OF ST MARGARET PATTENS, EASTCHEAP, LONDON EC3
Grade I listed
List Entry Number: 1286593
Detail
EASTCHEAP EC3 1.5002 (North Side) Church of St Margaret Pattens TQ 3380 NW 17/459 4.1.50.
I GV
2. 1684 to 89, by Wren. Rectangular body with north aisle stopped by north-west tower. Shallow projection to sanctuary. Exterior, now painted, appears to be largely of stone. Round arch windows with circular openings to clerestory. Cornice and parapet hiding roof. South elevation, partly obscured by Nos 43 and 45 Eastcheap, has doorway at west end with segmental pediment. Pedimented west elevation has pilastered and corniced central door with large, round-arched window above topped by carved decoration. Smaller, arched and circular windows either side, continued by lowest stage of tower, which has 3 further stages with circular windows and simple, rectangular belfry openings. Crowning cornice topped by balustrade with obelisks to corner dies. Octagonal lead covered spire with small dormers and weather vane. North elevation with addition. Pediment to east with cornice and blocking to lower, sanctuary projection. Simple north-east vestry with hipped, slated roof. Old rainwater heads. Interior has order of Corinthian pilasters, with columns to aisle, supporting ceiling cove accommodating clerestory windows. Enriched surround to flat central area. Gallery (now enclosed) to aisle and another on Ionic columns supporting organ at west end, the space beneath with glazed enclosure, probably late C18. Good reredos, pulpit, high pews (canopied at west end) doorcases, wainscot, stair to north gallery, royal arms, font, sword-rest etc. Wall monument by Rysbrack.
Listing NGR: TQ3313080840
historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1286593
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St Margaret Pattens
History
The church was first recorded in 1067, at which time the church was probably built from wood. It was rebuilt in stone at some unknown subsequent date but fell into disrepair and had to be demolished in 1530. It was rebuilt in 1538 but was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. The present church was built by Sir Christopher Wren in 1687. It is one of only a few City churches to have escaped significant damage in the Second World War.
In 1954 St Margaret Pattens ceased to be a parish church and became one of the City’s guild churches, within the living of the Lord Chancellor and under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of London. They have a regular weekday, rather than Sunday congregation, drawn mostly from people who work in offices nearby. The tower accommodates the office of the Archdeacon of Hackney.
The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950.
Building
The church's exterior is notable for its 200-ft high spire, Wren's third highest and the only one that he designed in a medieval style. This is sometimes referred to as Wren's only "true spire". Its interior is a simple rectangle with some unusual fittings – the only canopied pews in London, dating from the 17th century. These were intended for the churchwardens. The initials "CW" which appear in one of the pews have been thought to refer to Christopher Wren, but they may also signify "church warden." Other features in the interior include a punishment box carved with the Devil's head where wrongdoers had to sit during the church service.
Name
The church's name is traditionally said to derive from pattens, wooden-soled overshoes, later soled with raised iron rings, that, as elsewhere, parishioners would be asked to remove on entering the church. These raised shoes enabled people to walk about the streets of London without muddying their feet. The church has certainly long been associated with their Livery Company, The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers.
Another possibility is that the church's name actually commemorates a benefactor, possibly one Ranulf Patin, a canon at St Paul's Cathedral during the medieval period, although it would be most unusual for a benefactor to be commemorated in this way.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Margaret_Pattens
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St Margaret Pattens, Rood Lane, London EC3M 1HS.
St Margaret Pattens is a Church of England church in the City of London, located on Eastcheap near the Monument. The dedication is to St. Margaret of Antioch.
The present church was built by Sir Christopher Wren in 1687. It is one of only a few City churches to have escaped significant damage in the Second World War.
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Tour of the Church
See link below:-
The banks of the lower Shrewsbury river are jammed packed with marinas and docks for boats to keep their prides and joys safe for the summer.
July 5, 2021
DJI Air 2S
Patten Point - Long Branch, NJ
Roy Patten has the start line under total control. At the riders' briefing he explained that anyone one jumping the flag would be placed back in the start line - facing the wrong way. There was not a single false start all day.
St Margaret Pattens is a Church of England church in the City of London, located on Eastcheap near the Monument. The dedication is to St. Margaret of Antioch.
The church was first recorded in 1067, at which time the church was probably built from wood. It was rebuilt in stone at some unknown subsequent date but fell into disrepair and had to be demolished in 1530. It was rebuilt in 1538 but was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. The present church was built by Sir Christopher Wren in 1687. It is one of only a few City churches to have escaped significant damage in the Second World War.
Source: Wikipedia.
Eric Patten, right, the outreach chair for the students from the Physician Assistant (PA) Program class 2019 at Penn State College of Medicine, joined other students in an effort to package more than 14,400 meals to be distributed to people in need throughout the world at the Univerity Conference Center on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. The event marked the culmination of the students’ effort which also included raising $4,196 for Rise Against Hunger, an international hunger relief organization that distributes food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable, with a goal of ending hunger by 2030.
Went on a walk to visit this forest preserve. The lake is called sterling lake in Lake County, Illinois. Definitely worth a check-out!
Juba, 18 October 2022: Under-Secretry-General Pramila Patten, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict pictured meeting with survivors’ networks at the UNMISS headquarters in Juba, South Sudan. Ms. Patten interacted separately with survivors, listening to their accounts. USG Patten will travel to Yambio, Western Equatoria, also where UNMISS is working with partners to implement a survivor-centered project to empower survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
Photos by Isaac Billy/UNMISS
Juba, 18 October 2022: Under-Secretry-General Pramila Patten, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict pictured meeting with survivors’ networks at the UNMISS headquarters in Juba, South Sudan. Ms. Patten interacted separately with survivors, listening to their accounts. USG Patten will travel to Yambio, Western Equatoria, also where UNMISS is working with partners to implement a survivor-centered project to empower survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
Photos by Isaac Billy/UNMISS
St Margaret Pattens, Great Tower Street, London
I have a fondness for this little church, which sits pleasingly on the north side of Great Tower Street. The paved area in front gives it rather a provincial air, as if we were in the main shopping street of Norwich or York, and the building itself similarly has no airs and graces. Here, where London bends towards the grim old tower, Wren turned disciplinarian and built one of the simplest, starkest patterns of his career opined Wayland Young in an uncharacteristically purple passage. Yes, it is plain, and the interior is plain too, a simple box-like nave with a north aisle beyond. Plain glass, plain benches, a plain wooded sanctuary - even the reredos is understated. And yet there is a pleasing harmony here. I thought the church well-chosen by the tramp snoring away on one of the back benches - there were no discordant excitements here to keep him awake!
But there is plenty to interest, too. At the back are the churchwardens pews for St Margaret Pattens and St Gabriel Fenchurch, and these are the only surviving examples in the City. The beadle's pew survives too, and there are hat pegs for gentlemen, and perhaps all in all no other City church still has the calm and simplicity of 18th Century London life before the Victorian storm began. Mind you, those 18th Century gentlemen might have raised an eyebrow at the succession of young women carrying large exercise balls up the north aisle on their way to a pilates class in the north gallery, now a conference room.
A patten is a kind of wooden shoe, and a window of 2000 commemorates the Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers. But in fact the dedication was probably not a reference to pattenmakers at all, but to Ranulpf Peyton, a Canon of St Pauls who owned the land in this parish.
Simon Knott, December 2015
other title: Scholar. Hermon MacNeil, 1916, near Patten Gymnasium, Northwestern, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA, sculpture. Photo 1 of 2.
Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Ms. Pramila Patten Concludes Visit to Iraq and Stresses Need to Do More to Protect and Support Victims of Daesh’s Sexual Violence Crimes
(Baghdad/New York, 05 March 2018)
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Pramila Patten, concluded an eight-day visit to Iraq during which she heard first-hand the heart wrenching accounts of survivors of Daesh’s sexual violence. She stressed the need to ensure that survivors of conflict-related sexual violence are fully protected and that perpetrators of these horrendous crimes are brought to justice.
Special Representative Patten met with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and with other senior Government officials, at federal, regional and provincial levels in Baghdad, Erbil and Mosul. She also engaged directly with survivors, civil society groups and with Christian, Shia, Sunni, Turkmen Shia and Yazidi religious leaders. A strong message from the survivors relating to the plight of women and girls still under captivity as well as their missing family members was taken up with the Government by Special Representative Patten. She enquired about ongoing efforts to locate those missing and urged the authorities to expedite their rescue.
Many of the women who remain displaced expressed serious safety concerns regarding their return to their homes and shared their fear of reprisals. “I call on all religious and tribal leaders to welcome back survivors of sexual violence and their children, and the Government to find legal avenues to recognize their children as Iraqi citizens,” said Ms. Patten. “It is essential for all to work towards shifting the stigma from the victims to the perpetrators. I also urge the Government to ensure that women and girls who were victims of Daesh are not wrongfully perceived as being their ‘affiliates’.”
During discussion with Iraqi Officials on the question of justice and accountability, while acknowledging the efforts of the Government, the Special Representative stressed the importance of ensuring that alleged perpetrators are held accountable not only for the crime of terrorism but for the full extent of the sexual violence crimes perpetrated on Iraqi women and children including abduction, rape, sexual slavery and forced marriages. She noted in this regard that her Office stands ready to work directly with Iraqi judges, investigators and prosecutors together with the new Investigative Team established under UNSCR 2379. Her Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence also stands ready to provide support in the area of legislative reform in particular to criminalize war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Iraq.
In Mosul, where thousands of Iraqi women and girls were subjected to rape, sexual slavery and other grave forms of sexual violence perpetrated by Daesh, Ms. Patten was joined by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. They both called on the authorities of Ninewa Governorate to address the pressing needs of survivors in ongoing reconstruction efforts, including through the significant scaling-up of medical services, mental health and psychosocial support and economic livelihoods opportunities.
Ms. Patten’s visit from 26 February to 5 March 2018 was at the invitation of the Government, pursuant to the United Nations/Iraq Joint Communiqué to Prevent and Address Conflict-Related Sexual Violence of 2016. Her visit marks the endorsement of the Joint Communiqué’s Implementation Plan featuring specific measures related to justice and accountability, survivor-centered services and engagement with civil society organizations, religious/tribal leaders and the media. “The development of this implementation plan demonstrates the continuous commitment of the Government of Iraq to address the plight of the victims of conflict-related sexual violence,” stressed Special Representative Patten.
“While I congratulate the Government of Iraq for its military defeat of Daesh, I urge the Government to pursue its efforts to rescue those missing, to ensure justice and reparations to all victims of the heinous crimes of sexual violence and to include women in its peacebuilding, reconciliation and reconstruction initiatives,” stated Special Representative Patten.
Photos by UNAMI PIO and UNFPA.
abstract art artistic background black blue bright brightness circle complex composition computer concept conceptual crazy creative decorative depth derive design digital dream effects energy esoteric fairy fantasy form forming futuristic generated graphic blue haynes idea image imagination julietta life lines lucid luminosity Barbados manipulated modern pattern planet plant regenerate shiny special spill strange surrealism swirl texture twist unusual vibrant vivid weird wonder
The Southern vernacular Victorian-style Patten House was built in the 1890s by Dudley Patten. Dudley was the son of Major George Patten who had bought the Gamble Plantation in 1872. Dudley built the house because the older plantation mansion was in needed major repairs.
Juba, 18 October 2022: Under-Secretry-General Pramila Patten, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict pictured meeting with survivors’ networks at the UNMISS headquarters in Juba, South Sudan. Ms. Patten interacted separately with survivors, listening to their accounts. USG Patten will travel to Yambio, Western Equatoria, also where UNMISS is working with partners to implement a survivor-centered project to empower survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
Photos by Isaac Billy/UNMISS
Penguin First edition published in 1967 in the Penguin Modern Poets series
Adrian Henri
Roger McGough
Brian Patten
Cover design by Alan Spain
(and see D318)
Probably it is too early in the morning;
probably you have not yet risen
and the curtains float
like sails against the window.
But whatever, whatever the time, the place, the season,
here I am again at your door,
bringing a bunch of reasons why I should enter.
Probably it is too early inside you yet
for you to gather together what you are and speak;
but whatever, whatever the time, the place, the season,
it is certainly good to have come this far,
to know what I am and not mistrust.
The earth has many hands and doors upon
which these hands are knocking.
There are chairs for some on which to sit
more patient than the rest,
and here I am again, and again I am knocking,
holding a fist of primonia,
dressed to kill,
clean dustless and idiotic.
I might be thought mad, insane or stupid;
my belief in you might be totally unfounded;
it might be called utterly romantic,
but what the hell?
Here I am again and again am knocking.
But probably it is too early;
probably I’m too eager to come rushing towards you,
impatient to share what glows
while there is still
what glows around me.
I bang on the door of the world.
You are asleep behind it.
I bang on the door of the world
as on my own heart a world’s been hammering
Juba, 18 October 2022: Under-Secretry-General Pramila Patten, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict pictured meeting with survivors’ networks at the UNMISS headquarters in Juba, South Sudan. Ms. Patten interacted separately with survivors, listening to their accounts. USG Patten will travel to Yambio, Western Equatoria, also where UNMISS is working with partners to implement a survivor-centered project to empower survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
Photos by Isaac Billy/UNMISS
On Wednesday 29 February, Oxford Brookes provided a unique opportunity to hear Chancellor Shami Chakrabarti and the University of Oxford's Chancellor, Lord Patten, discuss topical issues.
This provided the platform for an interesting and lively debate for attendees to pose questions.
For more information on Events at Oxford Brookes, go to www.brookes.ac.uk/about/events
Juba, 18 October 2022: Under-Secretry-General Pramila Patten, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict pictured meeting with survivors’ networks at the UNMISS headquarters in Juba, South Sudan. Ms. Patten interacted separately with survivors, listening to their accounts. USG Patten will travel to Yambio, Western Equatoria, also where UNMISS is working with partners to implement a survivor-centered project to empower survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
Photos by Isaac Billy/UNMISS
Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Ms. Pramila Patten Concludes Visit to Iraq and Stresses Need to Do More to Protect and Support Victims of Daesh’s Sexual Violence Crimes
(Baghdad/New York, 05 March 2018)
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Pramila Patten, concluded an eight-day visit to Iraq during which she heard first-hand the heart wrenching accounts of survivors of Daesh’s sexual violence. She stressed the need to ensure that survivors of conflict-related sexual violence are fully protected and that perpetrators of these horrendous crimes are brought to justice.
Special Representative Patten met with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and with other senior Government officials, at federal, regional and provincial levels in Baghdad, Erbil and Mosul. She also engaged directly with survivors, civil society groups and with Christian, Shia, Sunni, Turkmen Shia and Yazidi religious leaders. A strong message from the survivors relating to the plight of women and girls still under captivity as well as their missing family members was taken up with the Government by Special Representative Patten. She enquired about ongoing efforts to locate those missing and urged the authorities to expedite their rescue.
Many of the women who remain displaced expressed serious safety concerns regarding their return to their homes and shared their fear of reprisals. “I call on all religious and tribal leaders to welcome back survivors of sexual violence and their children, and the Government to find legal avenues to recognize their children as Iraqi citizens,” said Ms. Patten. “It is essential for all to work towards shifting the stigma from the victims to the perpetrators. I also urge the Government to ensure that women and girls who were victims of Daesh are not wrongfully perceived as being their ‘affiliates’.”
During discussion with Iraqi Officials on the question of justice and accountability, while acknowledging the efforts of the Government, the Special Representative stressed the importance of ensuring that alleged perpetrators are held accountable not only for the crime of terrorism but for the full extent of the sexual violence crimes perpetrated on Iraqi women and children including abduction, rape, sexual slavery and forced marriages. She noted in this regard that her Office stands ready to work directly with Iraqi judges, investigators and prosecutors together with the new Investigative Team established under UNSCR 2379. Her Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence also stands ready to provide support in the area of legislative reform in particular to criminalize war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Iraq.
In Mosul, where thousands of Iraqi women and girls were subjected to rape, sexual slavery and other grave forms of sexual violence perpetrated by Daesh, Ms. Patten was joined by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. They both called on the authorities of Ninewa Governorate to address the pressing needs of survivors in ongoing reconstruction efforts, including through the significant scaling-up of medical services, mental health and psychosocial support and economic livelihoods opportunities.
Ms. Patten’s visit from 26 February to 5 March 2018 was at the invitation of the Government, pursuant to the United Nations/Iraq Joint Communiqué to Prevent and Address Conflict-Related Sexual Violence of 2016. Her visit marks the endorsement of the Joint Communiqué’s Implementation Plan featuring specific measures related to justice and accountability, survivor-centered services and engagement with civil society organizations, religious/tribal leaders and the media. “The development of this implementation plan demonstrates the continuous commitment of the Government of Iraq to address the plight of the victims of conflict-related sexual violence,” stressed Special Representative Patten.
“While I congratulate the Government of Iraq for its military defeat of Daesh, I urge the Government to pursue its efforts to rescue those missing, to ensure justice and reparations to all victims of the heinous crimes of sexual violence and to include women in its peacebuilding, reconciliation and reconstruction initiatives,” stated Special Representative Patten.
Photos by UNAMI PIO and UNFPA.
Silver patten with gold brooch with Celtic Knot inlay, dragons, woven chain and enamel. From Derrynaflan, County Tipperary. 8th Century AD. National Museum. Dublin, Ireland. Copyright 2016, James A. Glazier
Juba, 18 October 2022: Under-Secretry-General Pramila Patten, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict pictured meeting with survivors’ networks at the UNMISS headquarters in Juba, South Sudan. Ms. Patten interacted separately with survivors, listening to their accounts. USG Patten will travel to Yambio, Western Equatoria, also where UNMISS is working with partners to implement a survivor-centered project to empower survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
Photos by Isaac Billy/UNMISS
Went on a walk to visit this forest preserve. The lake is called sterling lake in Lake County, Illinois. Definitely worth a check-out!
Videos: Ham and Eggs Show 2013-02-20
Pictures by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 20 February 2013.
lake.typepad.com/on-the-lake-front/2013/03/videos-ham-and...
Writing on the back of this photo reads, "Grandpa Patten - Father" but I'm not sure. To my eyes, he doesn't look that much like the other, older photos of "Grandpa Patten."
Juba, 18 October 2022: Under-Secretry-General Pramila Patten, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict pictured meeting with survivors’ networks at the UNMISS headquarters in Juba, South Sudan. Ms. Patten interacted separately with survivors, listening to their accounts. USG Patten will travel to Yambio, Western Equatoria, also where UNMISS is working with partners to implement a survivor-centered project to empower survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
Photos by Isaac Billy/UNMISS
Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Ms. Pramila Patten Concludes Visit to Iraq and Stresses Need to Do More to Protect and Support Victims of Daesh’s Sexual Violence Crimes
(Baghdad/New York, 05 March 2018)
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Pramila Patten, concluded an eight-day visit to Iraq during which she heard first-hand the heart wrenching accounts of survivors of Daesh’s sexual violence. She stressed the need to ensure that survivors of conflict-related sexual violence are fully protected and that perpetrators of these horrendous crimes are brought to justice.
Special Representative Patten met with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and with other senior Government officials, at federal, regional and provincial levels in Baghdad, Erbil and Mosul. She also engaged directly with survivors, civil society groups and with Christian, Shia, Sunni, Turkmen Shia and Yazidi religious leaders. A strong message from the survivors relating to the plight of women and girls still under captivity as well as their missing family members was taken up with the Government by Special Representative Patten. She enquired about ongoing efforts to locate those missing and urged the authorities to expedite their rescue.
Many of the women who remain displaced expressed serious safety concerns regarding their return to their homes and shared their fear of reprisals. “I call on all religious and tribal leaders to welcome back survivors of sexual violence and their children, and the Government to find legal avenues to recognize their children as Iraqi citizens,” said Ms. Patten. “It is essential for all to work towards shifting the stigma from the victims to the perpetrators. I also urge the Government to ensure that women and girls who were victims of Daesh are not wrongfully perceived as being their ‘affiliates’.”
During discussion with Iraqi Officials on the question of justice and accountability, while acknowledging the efforts of the Government, the Special Representative stressed the importance of ensuring that alleged perpetrators are held accountable not only for the crime of terrorism but for the full extent of the sexual violence crimes perpetrated on Iraqi women and children including abduction, rape, sexual slavery and forced marriages. She noted in this regard that her Office stands ready to work directly with Iraqi judges, investigators and prosecutors together with the new Investigative Team established under UNSCR 2379. Her Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence also stands ready to provide support in the area of legislative reform in particular to criminalize war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Iraq.
In Mosul, where thousands of Iraqi women and girls were subjected to rape, sexual slavery and other grave forms of sexual violence perpetrated by Daesh, Ms. Patten was joined by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. They both called on the authorities of Ninewa Governorate to address the pressing needs of survivors in ongoing reconstruction efforts, including through the significant scaling-up of medical services, mental health and psychosocial support and economic livelihoods opportunities.
Ms. Patten’s visit from 26 February to 5 March 2018 was at the invitation of the Government, pursuant to the United Nations/Iraq Joint Communiqué to Prevent and Address Conflict-Related Sexual Violence of 2016. Her visit marks the endorsement of the Joint Communiqué’s Implementation Plan featuring specific measures related to justice and accountability, survivor-centered services and engagement with civil society organizations, religious/tribal leaders and the media. “The development of this implementation plan demonstrates the continuous commitment of the Government of Iraq to address the plight of the victims of conflict-related sexual violence,” stressed Special Representative Patten.
“While I congratulate the Government of Iraq for its military defeat of Daesh, I urge the Government to pursue its efforts to rescue those missing, to ensure justice and reparations to all victims of the heinous crimes of sexual violence and to include women in its peacebuilding, reconciliation and reconstruction initiatives,” stated Special Representative Patten.
Photos by UNAMI PIO and UNFPA.