On 18 June 2026, EU Special Representative for Human Rights Kajsa Ollongren and UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten issued a joint statement condemning the use of sexual violence against children in armed conflicts, including as a tactic of war, repression, and terror. The statement, released on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, calls for urgent collective action to address these human rights violations, emphasizing that such crimes inflict profound physical, psychological, and social harm, disrupt education and development, and leave intergenerational scars. The EU and UN urge all UN member states, parties to conflict, and the international community to uphold obligations under international law, including the protection of children from all forms of sexual violence, and to translate commitments into concrete action, adequate funding, and sustained political will.
The statement highlights a comprehensive, survivor-centered, and trauma-informed approach to prevention and response, including strengthening child protection systems, ensuring accessible justice, providing reparation measures, and holding perpetrators accountable while safeguarding survivors from re-traumatisation. The EU and UN are collaborating through a joint project to foster global information sharing and capacity building across humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding efforts to systematically address conflict-related sexual violence. In Ukraine, the EU and UN are working together to strengthen institutional capacities to prevent and respond to such violence, including through coordination with civil society and enhanced accountability mechanisms. The EU will leverage its new strategic approach on humanitarian diplomacy, which prioritizes the protection of children and addressing conflict-related sexual violence. The statement also underscores the critical role of caregivers—families, guardians, educators, and community leaders—in prevention, early detection, and recovery, and calls for empowering women, who bear a disproportionate burden of care during and after war, with knowledge, resources, and support. The EU and UN reaffirm their strong partnership in addressing conflict-related sexual violence, including specialized interventions for children, and emphasize integrating child protection into peace processes, security sector reform, and humanitarian responses.
The joint statement, issued without prior coverage on this topic in the last 180 days, represents a coordinated diplomatic push by the EU and UN to elevate the issue of sexual violence against children in conflict settings. It does not introduce new funding or legislative measures but reinforces existing commitments and calls for increased accountability and action from the international community. The statement's impact is primarily symbolic and advocacy-oriented, aiming to maintain political attention on the issue and encourage member states and parties to conflict to comply with international law. Stakeholders most directly affected include children in conflict zones, who face ongoing risks of sexual violence; national authorities and civil society organizations working on child protection and survivor support; and the EU and UN institutions themselves, which are positioned to lead coordinated responses. The absence of specific new commitments or enforcement mechanisms limits the statement's immediate practical impact, but it serves to reaffirm the EU and UN's joint stance and may influence future policy discussions and funding priorities.
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