From September 2019 to April 2020, a team of graduate students from the University of British Columbia’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs under the leadership of Dr. Erin Baines partnered with Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice to conduct research on the impact, limitations, and approaches to improve current definitions of sexual violence.

The students conducted interviews with more than 30 participants, including academics, policy makers and experts at the UN, ICC and various NGOs. The main questions explored were:

• What is the scope, limitations or benefits of the definition  Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (OSRSG-SVC)’s definition and how does it impact the policy direction, and operations of UN agencies and related institutions?
• What opportunities, challenges, and constraints exist to address the gaps in the definition?
• How can the CSD and actors that engage with the OSRSG on SV and relevant international bodies improve this definition?

For a list of recommendations on how to improve current definitions, read the report here.