Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the start of 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women. Around the world, women continue to face staggering levels of violence, including sexual and gender-based violence. Globally, the UN estimates that 736 million women – nearly one in three – have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their lives.
PHR will continue fighting for justice for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and empowering the clinicians and professionals who support them.
In 2025, the global community will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995). An ambitious blueprint for advancing women’s rights, the Beijing Declaration remains a north star for the protection of the rights of women and girls everywhere. Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) supports the goals of the UNiTE campaign to advance policies to end violence against women at the national and international level, and advance accountability for perpetrators of violence against women.
For more than 35 years, PHR has been a leader and innovator in the promotion of justice and healing for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence: women and girls, but also men, boys, and people of diverse genders. We use rigorous science-based and trauma-informed approaches to address violence in contexts as diverse as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Iraq, Kenya, Syria, Ukraine, and the United States. With our partners, PHR has helped achieve landmark victories for justice around the globe. Here’s a closer look at how we work:
We Document Violations of Human Rights
PHR conducts rigorous investigations to document and corroborate reports of conflict-related sexual violence. By partnering with health care workers who are providing clinical care to survivors, we have documented evidence of sexual violence in places like Ethiopia, and most recently, the staggering levels of sexual violence in the DRC’s ongoing conflict. We have helped to shine a light on the severe harms caused by restrictions on reproductive rights: in the United States, we have documented the impact of abortion bans on patients and clinicians alike, and in places like Syria, our research has shown how attacks on health have prevented women and girls from accessing essential sexual and reproductive care. Our evidence is used by international and local justice mechanisms, United Nations bodies, policymakers, and journalists to bring human rights abusers to justice, prosecute war crimes, reform policies and practices that undermine human rights, secure reparations for survivors, and spur action in the face of growing rights violations.
PHR is also bridging innovation and forensic evidence collection with our award- winning MediCapt app, which enables clinicians to securely document, store, and transmit evidence of sexual violence. More than twice as effective at producing high-quality data than paper-based forms, this court-admissible evidence strengthens investigations, increases prosecutions, and helps ensure that perpetrators of sexual violence can be tried and convicted for their crimes.
We Empower Communities through Capacity Development
We build local capacity to support the forensic documentation of sexual violence; evidence that empowers survivors and helps catalyze prosecutions of these crimes. PHR centers survivors – along with medical, justice, and law enforcement actors – to drive progress at a systemic level.
At the heart of PHR’s work are the multisectoral networks and partnerships built among health care professionals, police officers, forensic analysts, lawyers, and judges. In places like Iraq, Kenya, DRC, and Ukraine, PHR prioritizes a trauma-informed, survivor-centered, multisectoral approach to enhance medical-legal processes for survivors that have proven effective. PHR started developing these trainings in 2011. We have been consistently refining our approach to ensure alignment with best practices, in collaboration with our partners and colleagues living and working in affected communities.
We Advocate for Justice
PHR has been committed to holding perpetrators of sexual violence accountable. By supporting strong systems for forensic documentation and pursuing accountability, PHR and our partners aim to strengthen investment in ending cycles of violence and supporting healing. In the wake of the 2007-2008 post-election violence in Kenya, PHR utilized evidence to achieve justice for survivors, including orders for reparation and recognition of the state’s failure to uphold their rights. We have also helped secure major courtroom wins in the DRC: after sexual violence was perpetrated against children in the South Kivu village of Kavumu in 2013, PHR worked with medical, law enforcement, and legal professionals to gather forensic evidence from the survivors, eventually resulting in a landmark conviction of the perpetrators.
This International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, PHR will continue comprehensively fighting for justice for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and empowering the clinicians and professionals who support them. Through evidence and advocacy, justice for survivors is possible.