Date

2 - 3 June 2025

Time

8:00 am - 6:00 pm

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

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

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.

Call for Abstracts and Side Events

We welcome scholars, students, civil society representatives, practitioners, and policymakers to submit abstracts for paper presentations on one or more themes above.

Submissions should critically engage with the selected theme(s) and offer innovative approaches, theoretically informed empirical research, and/or evidence-based policy solutions.

We invite individuals and organizations to submit proposals for side events to occur before, during breaks and/or after the main daily program addressing one or more of the themes above. These events can include panel discussions, roundtables, or interactive dialogue and collaboration. Proposals should highlight how the event will align the conference theme(s), advance knowledge, build awareness, or drive practical solutions.

Submission Guidelines

The conference will be a primarily in-person event. However, we plan to convene all plenaries in hybrid mode. Most concurrent sessions will be held in person. However, there will be a small number of online sessions to accommodate those who wish to present but are unable to attend in person.

Submission Link: https://monash.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3DklvLBOYWDHfqm
Submissions Deadline: 11:59pm February 7, 2025 Australian Eastern Daylight Time (UTC+11 hours)
Date of notification of selected abstracts/proposals: March 1, 2025

Abstracts

Abstracts should be between 200 and 300 words maximum.
Please indicate the relevant theme(s) of your abstract.
Include a brief biographical statement (maximum 100 words) detailing authors and/or participants affiliation, expertise and relevant experience.

Bursaries

A small number of bursaries will be available to facilitate participation for individuals from least developed, low and low-middle income countries in the Indo-Pacific region. The following steps will be required if you wish to be considered for a bursary that will cover some flight and accommodation expenses. These steps will need to be completed at the submission stage.

Step 1: Verify that you do not have independent financial means to attend the conference, and you are a citizen of, and/or, traveling from a least developed, low or low-middle income country from the Indo-Pacific region. This is an important criterion for the travel bursary application. Any participants from low-income or low-middle income countries as per the DAC list are encouraged to apply. Check the list click here: https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/sub-issues/oda-eligibility-and-conditions/dac-list-of-oda-recipients.html
Step 2: Provide the anticipated costs of your travel to the conference. This information will help us assess your financial needs accurately.
Step 3: Include a statement (maximum 250 words) explaining how your attendance at the conference will benefit your work and encourage collaboration. This statement should highlight the potential impact of your participation in the conference.
Step 4: Submit your most current curriculum vitae (CV).
Step 5: Provide a letter of endorsement from your employer, Head of University department, or local civil society organisations. This letter should confirm your ability to attend the conference and support your application for the travel bursary. To maximise the number of bursaries available full travel expenses will not be covered.

Side event

Proposals should be no more than ONE page. It should include:

  • A summary of the event, including how the event will contribute to advancing knowledge, building capacity, or driving practical solutions related to the thematic areas.
  • The relevant theme(s) to the Conference
  • Brief biographical background of the event organizer and participants
  • Budget for event (if applicable)

For any questions or additional information regarding the conference or submission guidelines, please contact us at events@cevaw.org and include in the email subject header “Justice Denied Conference”.

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