Justice Denied: Fighting Widespread Impunity for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV)

CEVAW and AIIA-VIC Joint Two-Day Conference
June 2-3, 2025

Register here: Justice Denied: Fighting Widespread Impunity for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) | Australian Institute of International Affairs Victoria on Glue Up

The Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW) and the Australian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria (AIIA-VIC) are pleased to announce the upcoming international conference, Justice Denied: Fighting widespread impunity for conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) to be hosted in Melbourne, Australia, from June 2-3, 2025.

The conference aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and critical reflection on the current state of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in the Indo-Pacific region, including fragile situations and all forms of sexual and gender-based violence. It seeks to showcase cutting-edge research as well as policy solutions and share diverse perspectives and experiences on CRSV within the region. We welcome contributions from CRSV scholars and students, practitioners, civil society advocates and policymakers actively advancing prevention of, and responses to, CRSV.

Background and focus

Sexual and gender-based violence against civilians is becoming more prevalent as a tool of warfare, not less. Almost twenty-five years after the adoption of UNSCR 1325 which established the Women, Peace and Security agenda and more than a decade after the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) introduced by the United Kingdom, there is greater awareness of the egregious nature and impacts of this violence and commitments to prevent it. But impunity remains high in the growing number of fragile and conflict settings globally. What can be done to end impunity and bring about justice for CRSV survivors and victims’?

The Justice Denied conference will build on the international consensus forged in state commitments to the PSVI and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda to prohibit sexual violence in conflict. We will focus on the CRSV implementation agenda to overcome the challenges of ending impunity. The conference will address diverse conflicts (coups, terrorism, protracted civil conflict, sieges, ethnic cleansing, gender apartheid and kinetic warfare) to explore patterns of violence and understand why impunity for CRSV is widely accepted by many with authority to end it (state, non-state actors, military, security sector etc).

Recognising the available tools and training, such as the Murad Code, the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict, the International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, and the International

Atrocity Prevention Working Group, the conference will probe further innovations in the following areas: evidence-gathering and analysis, international sanctions, plea bargaining, investigations (national and international), ceasefires and peace agreements. It will highlight the relevance and applicability of these tools and training for conflict and fragile situations across the Indo-Pacific.

Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) destroys the lives of individuals, families, communities and whole societies, it prolongs conflict and sets back post-conflict recovery.

Now is the time to identify opportunities for cooperation and collaboration across sectors and to bridge the gaps between research, practice and policymaking. The two-day conference aims to make a globally and regionally significant contribution to this effort.

Thematic Focus Areas

We encourage scholars, students, civil society representatives, practitioners and policymakers to submit abstracts and proposals for side events. related to the following themes. We strongly encourage case studies from the Indo-Pacific region across different levels among various stakeholders addressing the challenges and successes in addressing CRSV across diverse settings.

1. Violence Targeting: Ethnic Minorities, LGBTIQ+ and Politically Active Women
   This theme investigates the experience of groups most at risk for conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence in settings in the Indo Pacific region. As well as highlighting offline political violence, the role of technology-facilitated CRSV is included under this theme. It considers what options there are to counter, prevent as well as respond to the violent targeting of groups where de facto authorities or not state authorities may be present with a focus on supporting civil society actors.
2. Evidence Collection and Ethical Reporting
   This theme explores various documentation and reporting mechanisms during different stages of the conflict, including witness testimonies, truth-telling, forensic evidence, and access to services. It focuses on ongoing and innovative documenting and reporting practices, data collection, analysis and methodology, and ethical standards that ensure survivors’ safety, dignity and rights.
3. Survivor-Centred Responses to Justice
   This theme explores survivor-centred justice responses to CRSV that address the diverse needs of women, girls, men, boys, and LGBTIQ+ individuals, those with disabilities including people of minority status in conflict, post-conflict and politically unstable settings. It focuses on access to justice mechanisms and reparations that account for non-discrimination, safety, dignity, and rights for all survivors.
4. Legal Responses and Accountability Mechanisms
   This theme explores legal responses and accountability mechanisms in addressing CRSV in conflict and post-conflict contexts. It explores domestic and international justice mechanisms and a wide range of justice accountability mechanisms, such as impunity, investigation and prosecution, legal accountability, and access to justice and reparations for victims and survivors of CRSV.
5. Reforming Security and Military Institutions
   This theme examines the role of security and military institutions in preventing and responding to CRSV. It explores security sector reforms aimed at addressing the culture of impunity, existing studies and practices of behaviour and attitude change, and accountability mechanisms within security and military institutions.
6. Peacekeeping Operations
   This theme focuses on how international peacekeeping missions may contribute to the prevention of CRSV but also become complicit in it. It focuses on creating stronger oversight, training, cultural change, and accountability mechanisms within peacekeeping forces to protect civilians.
7. Peace Processes, Peacebuilding and CRSV
   This theme focuses on the inclusion of CRSV provisions in peace processes and the role of peacebuilding actors in the prevention of CRSV. How can peace processes address impunity and justice for CRSV and How can post-conflict peacebuilding programmes reduce CRSV by addressing some of its root causes, such as societal gendered norms and harmful practices, militarised masculinities, economic incentives and/or marginalisation and sense of entitlement.
8. Access to Humanitarian Services
   Safe access to services for survivors is essential and yet often difficult to achieve in conflict-affected and fragile situations. This theme will focus on how service delivery can be achieved in such situations, exploring past and present experiences of designing service delivery models that promote survivors’ access.
9. Bridging the Gap: CRSV Research into Policy and Practice
   This theme focuses on innovative research agendas that connect and translate research into policy and practice. It aims to discuss how to further build the analysis and evidence-base for CRSV prevention and effective reforms to improve access to justice, institutional practices and front-line response interventions.