Social, Humanitarianand Cultural Committee(SOCHUM)
Background Guide Topic:

Protecting Female Refugees Against Sexual ViolenceDirector’s Note
Dear delegates,
Thank you for applying for the 2022 Japan Metropolitan Model United Nations. My name is
Natsuki Tada, and I will be the director of this committee. As the beginner committees will meetin person and have face-to-face discussions at this conference, I am more than happy to see all of
you and listen to all the original ideas and solutions you bring.

I have lived in the United States for two years and encountered MUN at this school four years
ago. Standing in front of a huge crowd always made me anxious, but as I participated in more
conferences, it got easier for me to deliver speeches and talk to other people. It is often
frightening to go up on stage and discuss a topic in front of a crowd, but practice and experience
are the only ways you could ever be more confident and comfortable in making speeches. Please
do not hesitate to step out of your comfort zone and try something new at this conference.

The topic we will be discussing in this committee is “Protecting female refugees against sexual
violence.” To give safety and security to the vulnerable children and women who cannot speak
up to protect themselves, we must be considerate of the refugees and aim to provide them withthe mental and physical care they lack. The chairs would be happy to see all of you being
engaged to have innovative conversations at this conference.
Sincerely,

Natsuki Tada
Director of Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee
Senzoku Gakuen Model United Nations ClubJapan Metropolitan Model United Nations 2022

Introduction of theCommittee
The ongoing expansion of the refugee
population in the world has been a great
concern to many countries. Even with thematerial and psychosocial barriers set
against refugees by COVID-19, the United
Nations is working to provide better supportand more asylum to people who have been
forced to flee their own countries.
Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural
Committee (SOCHUM) is the Third
Committee of the General Assembly anddiscusses a range of social, humanitarianaffairs, and human rights issues. 1 The
committee also treats topics such as theadvancement of women, protection ofchildren, treatment of refugees, and thepromotion of fundamental freedoms.
The UN has defined the term “refugees,”and has outlined the rights of refugees toprotect them in The Convention Relating to
the Status of Refugees. Moreover, the UN
advocated for non-refoulement, which statesthat a refugee should not be forced to returnto their country where they face serious

1"UN General Assembly - Third Committee ...."
https://www.un.org/en/ga/third/. Accessed 21 Jul.
2021.

threats to their lives or freedom. 2 The
protocols and conventions presented by the
UN have become the basis of theinternational custom of promoting the safetyof refugees. As the need for global
awareness and better protection of refugees
increase, attention to the care of refugees isrequired.

Key Terms
RefugeeA person who has fled their country in orderto escape war, violence, conflict, or
persecution. 3
Asylum-seeker
A person seeking international
protection/asylum. For an individual to
become a refugee, he or she has to be an
asylum-seeker. 4
AsylumGuaranteed protection in host countries towhich asylum seekers make their request to
be protected.

2"The 1951 Refugee Convention - UNHCR."
https://www.unhcr.org/1951-refugee-convention.html. Accessed 24 Jul. 2021.
3"What is a refugee? - UNHCR."
https://www.unhcr.org/what-is-a-refugee.html .
Accessed 31 Aug. 2021.
4"Asylum Seeker | INEE."
https://inee.org/eie-glossary/asylum-seeker. Accessed
31 Aug. 2021.

Sexual assaults
An act of physical, psychological, andemotional violation in the form of a sexualact, inflicted on someone without theirconsent. 5
CSA(Childhood sexual abuse)
Sexual abuse toward children andadolescents 6

Current Situation
At the end of 2020, more than 82.4 million
people worldwide were forcibly displaced asa result of persecution, conflict, violence,
human rights violations, or events seriously
disturbing public order. 26.4 million of themwere refugees, and 4.1 million were
asylum-seekers. 7
As the chart below illustrates, the number ofdisplaced persons is increasing rapidly. 8
86% are hosted by developing countries,

5"What is rape and sexual assault? | Metropolitan
Police."https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-inform
ation/rsa/rape-and-sexual-assault/what-is-rape-and-se
xual-assault/. Accessed 21 Jul. 2021.
6"Child Sexual Abuse - NCBI - NIH."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4413
451/. Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.

7"UNHCR Refugee Data Finder." 18 Jun. 2021,
https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/. Accessed 8
Aug. 2021.
8"UNHCR Global Trends - Forced displacement in2020."
https://www.unhcr.org/flagship-reports/globaltrends/.
Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.

with Turkey accepting more than 3.7 million
refugees.
Out of the 82.4 million displaced persons in
the world, approximately 35 million (42%)
are children. The chart below shows that justtwo countries, Syria and Afghanistan,account for nearly half of the world’s childrefugees. 9
Although refugees are five times more likely
to have mental health needs and more than
61% experience mental disorders than thelocal population, they are less likely toreceive adequate support. 10 The lack ofmental healthcare for traumatized refugees
is serious and requires an immediate
solution.

9"Child Displacement and Refugees - UNICEF DATA."
https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-migration-and-displacem
ent/displacement/ . Accessed 28 Jul. 2021.
10"Mental health statistics: refugees and asylum
seekers | Mental ...."
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics/mental-hea
lth-statistics-refugees-and-asylum-seekers. Accessed
28 Jul. 2021.

Key Points & Case Studies
Subtopic I: Lack of Mental
Healthcare
Mental healthcare before and after sexual
violence is necessary for protecting thewomen and children who have gone throughtraumatizing experiences in confinedcommunities. Some examples of mental
healthcare before sexual violence areteaching children and women theimportance of discussing their traumas, notblaming themselves for being assaulted,
knowing they are not alone in the battle.
Providing counseling services andopportunities for them to talk about theirexperiences is crucial in protecting the
refugees after sexual violence.

Key Points
1. Recovery from Post-traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD)/Other Mental Disorders
PTSD and other mental disorders are causedby exposure to a traumatic event and intense
psychological distress. 11 Recovery fromPTSD and other mental disorders iscompletely subjective. It is generally
measured by whether the survivor increases
their involvement in the present, acquires
skills and attitudes to regain control of their
11"What Is PTSD? - American Psychiatric
Association."
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/wh
at-is-ptsd. Accessed 30 Jul. 2021.

lives, forgives themselves for negative
cognitions like guilt and shame, and gains
stress reduction skills for overall better
functioning. 12 To carry out successful
therapy for all of the sexually assaulted
women and children, adequate support witha professional treatment system andunderstanding of their situations isnecessary.
2. Youth Protection
Over half of the refugee population in theworld consists of children. 13 The majority
have endured exposure to violence in close
communities and families, the uncertainty of
the future, persecution, and loss of loved
ones. Especially in unsupervised areas
where displaced children often face sexual
violence, mental health care to protect theyouths is necessary. Moreover, many
children, especially girls, are kidnapped andforced into prostitution. The fear of being
tortured is ever-present in the children who
are sexually exploited. 14

12"Sexual assault and posttraumatic stress disorder: A... - NCBI - NIH."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2323
517/. Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.
13"Child and Youth Protection - UNHCR."
https://www.unhcr.org/child-and-youth-protection.ht
ml. Accessed 25 Jul. 2021.
14"A Child is a Child – Protecting children on themove ... - UNICEF Data."
https://data.unicef.org/resources/child-child-protecting-children-move-violence-abuse-exploitation/.
Accessed 9 Aug. 2021.

Furthermore, it is extremely important toprovide refugee children with the proper
mental health care and psychosocial support.
Structured recreational and life skill
activities help the refugee children who have
faced sexual assaults and other atrocities todiscuss what they have overcome before
their flight. 15 Active conversations andcommunity-based psychosocial support are
crucial in mental healthcare.
3. Community-based Protection
As refugees often witness cruel scenes
before their departure, the healthcare systemin the host countries plays a significant rolein helping refugees overcome their traumas.
UNHCR has worked with the host countries
and communities to assist a better
understanding of the displaced persons, andto provide them with an adequate healthcare
system. 16 The community-based protection,
including sports, computer and literacy
classes, and recreational activities, helps toalleviate the stress and pain that refugees
have in moving to a foreign country.
4. Mental Health and Psychosocial Support(MHPSS) 17
15"Mental Health and Psychosocial Support UNHCR."
https://www.unhcr.org/mental-health-psychosocial-su
pport.html. Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.
16"Mental Health and Psychosocial Support UNHCR." Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.
17"Mental Health and Psychosocial Support UNHCR." Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.

In response to the lack of a healthcare
system for refugees, UNHCR has built a
program to support the management of
mental, neurological, and substance use
conditions in health facilities. Survivors of
sexual abuse need proper mental healthcare
to overcome their traumatic experiences andrebuild their lives.

Case Studies
BosniaA study with Bosnian refugees explores if
the distress associated with being a refugeeremains in the long run. It demonstrates that
45% of the refugees who initially met thecriteria for PTSD, depression, or both
continued to meet the criteria three years
later. 18 The mental stress that comes alongwith witnessing sexual violence, torture, ordeath is permanent in the refugees,
especially when the victim gets assaulted ata young age.
CanadaAnother study in Canada finds out thatsexual assault triggers PTSD in survivors
more than the national prevalence of thedisorder. 19 This means that survivors of
sexual assaults are more likely to be
18"Longitudinal study of psychiatric symptoms,
disability, mortality, and ...."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11476656/.
Accessed 8 Aug. 2021.
19"Sexual assault and posttraumatic stress disorder: A... - NCBI - NIH." Accessed 30 Jul. 2021.

diagnosed with PTSD than people with othertraumatic experiences.
Colombia
UNHCR has established a community-based
protection system in Colombia, a country inSouth America. A community organizationin Colombia asked UNHCR to help thecommunity remain on its territory. Instead ofproviding materials from the beginning,
UNHCR took into consideration thesituation in the local area and provided
advice that led the locals to discuss
protection strategies themselves. Afterrequest, UNHCR provided modest material
and gave training about issues such as but
not limited to gender-based violence. 20
Therefore, understanding the situation in thearea and providing advice instead ofsupplies is crucial in providing
community-based protection.

20"UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITY-BASEDPROTECTION - Refworld."
https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/5209f0b64.pdf.
Accessed 31 Aug. 2021.

EU Member States
Controversially, the EU accepts 10% of theworld’s refugees and a fraction of theasylum seekers. As the below chart 21 shows,the EU barely accepts refugees and asylum
seekers due to strong opposition to accepting
immigrants who would “take their jobs” and“ruin the public safety and their cultural
identity.” 22

The deep-rooted hostility towards the
refugees in some of the EU Member States
has resulted in the lack of recognition and21"Statistics on migration to Europe | European Commission." 18
Jun. 2021,
https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/promoting-o
ur-european-way-life/statistics-migration-europe_en. Accessed 31
Jul. 2021.
22"'Europe Does Not See Us As Human': Stranded Refugees
Struggle ...." 9 Mar. 2018,https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/03/09/589973165/euro
pe-does-not-see-us-as-human-stranded-refugees-struggle-in-greece. Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.

protection of sexually assaulted women andchildren. Only 33% of sexual violence
survivors in Greece were categorized asvulnerable asylum seekers; the pressure
from the EU and national governments to
reduce the number of vulnerable asylum
seekers has caused the Member States toneglect the necessary mental healthcare.

Moreover, most Member States have notestablished a formal system for identifying
mental health disorders. They recognize
physical disabilities and infectious diseases
as elements that contribute to vulnerability.
However, mental disorders often goundetected. In 2010, the PROTECT project
was launched to pose a measure for mental
disorders, though problems like limitedaccess to healthcare and practical barriers

such as the lack of resources, professionals,
and interpreters still remain. 23

Subtopic II: Lack of
Medical/Physical Care
While trauma remains one of the biggest
concerns of health issues after sexualassaults, long-term physical consequences
are also part of the problem that needs to be
discussed. For instance, long-term
consequences of sexual assaults include
miscarriages, hemorrhaging, inability tocontrol urination, and pains in different
areas. 24 In addition to this, surrounding
qualities like the cost or legality of abortion,social stigma (often of religion or tradition),
possible consequences of being ostracizedand punished for being assaulted, allcontribute to the worsening of the situation.
There are also consequences like sexuallytransmitted diseases including HIV,unwanted pregnancies, and unsafe abortions.

Key Points
1. Integration
The integration of the migrant population isset as the first goal of the program,specifically aiming for improvements suchas employing staff with migrant-specificexpertise or professional interpreters whenneeded. The FOPH (Federal Office of Public
Health) has specifically come up with ane-learning tool meant for healthcare workers
to better understand situations migrants are
put in, and to communicate better with them.
26
It has also come up with migrant-friendly
hospitals and calls out action for more
hospitals to take in these ideas to better deal
with migrants. The specific impact model ofthe program is shown in the graph below. 27

25

23"Life After Trauma: The Mental-Health Needs ofAsylum Seekers in ...." 30 Jan. 2018,https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/life-after-trau
ma-mental-health-needs-asylum-seekers-europe.
Accessed 31 Aug. 2021.
24"THE HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH GLOBALREPORT ON WOMEN'S ...."21 Sep. 1993,https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/general
958.pdf. Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.
25"Sexual Violence Against Refugees: Guidelines on... - UNHCR."
https://www.unhcr.org/publications/operations/3b9cc

26c4/sexual-violence-against-refugees-guidelines-prevention-response-unhcr.html. Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.
26"E-Learning Interaction and Quality"
https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/strategie-und-politi
k/nationale-gesundheitsstrategien/gesundheitliche-chancen
gleichheit/gesundheitspersonal-und-umgang-mit-diversitaet/e-learning-interaktion-und-qualitaet.html . Accessed 31

Jul. 2021.
27"Swiss Hospitals for Equity - Bundesamt fürGesundheit BAG." 11 Dec. 2019,https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/strategie-und-politik/nationale-gesundheitsstrategien/gesundheitliche-chancengleichheit/chancengleichheit-in-der-gesun
dheitsversorgung/swiss-hospitals-for-equity.html.
Accessed 31 Aug. 2021.

The graph illustrates the solution to the
problem from the refugees’ and the hostcountry’s perspectives. The graph illustrates
the need for understandable education
systems for migrants and integration skills
for workers in the host countries.
2. Education
By the integration of the migrant population,
the country aims to improve the level ofhealth literacy among migrant citizens. As
education for the actual population, theSwiss Red Cross published “Health Guide to
Switzerland '' in 18 languages, further
emphasizing the need for the recognition of
the actual healthcare systems between
residents. 28
28"Programme on Migration and Health 2002–2017 Bundesamt für ...." 16 Dec. 2019,https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/strategie-und

3. Foreign Environments
Compared to local citizens who live where
they grew up or where they feel the most
comfortable, refugees living in foreign lands
have a hard time receiving the medication
they need to recover from the assaults. The
EU has listed some reasons for why refugees
often do not receive adequate healthcare;reasons include communication issues due
to language barriers, refugees' lack ofunderstanding of the healthcare system ofhost countries, and the host nations' lack oftraining and awareness of the issues
regarding refugees. 29 While considering-politik/nationale-gesundheitsstrategien/gesundheitliche-chancengleichheit/programm-migration-und-gesu
ndheit-2002-2017.html. Accessed 31 Aug. 2021.
29"Good Practice Guide on the Integration of
Refugees in the European ...."
https://www.refworld.org/docid/4652feff2.html.
Accessed 31 Aug. 2021.

ways to solve this medical issue concerning
assaults, focusing on both the governments'
laws and policies as well as the refugees’
perspectives is vital.

Case Studies
Sexual Violence Against Refugees:
Guidelines on Prevention and Response 30
As a solution, “Sexual Violence Against
Refugees: Guidelines on Prevention andResponse” has set a guideline in regards tothe medical care of refugees who have gone
through sexual assaults. The guideline
highlights the importance of same-gender
medical workers, considering the refugees'
perspectives of comfortability and culturalvalues. It should be noted that one of themain reasons many cases go unreported isthe victims’ reluctance to talk about it toothers. Unreported cases and thus the lack ofinvestigations lead to perpetrators being
unnoticed without proper punishments.
Other suggestions the guideline offers
include prioritizing local medical staff to do
the medical examinations, as they can easily
testify or give information on the case whennecessary, and discussing the risks andprocedures that follow the treatment of thevictims. Concerning the treatment ofvictims, medical staff must always keep inmind whether abortion or pills are legally
accepted in the country where camps are30"Sexual Violence Against Refugees: Guidelines on... - UNHCR." Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.

located since the law differs in each country.
If they are legal, the medical staff should
give them the treatment they need as soon as
possible. If it is illegal, they should provide
legal medical care. Also, in many cases,
follow-up cases are advised. 31
The National Programme on Migration and
HealthIn the topic of medical care for refugees,
Switzerland introduced The National
Programme on Migration and Health 32
targeting the migrant population, which was
about 37.7% of the total resident populationin 2019.33 The plan's aim was mainly at
improving the health literacy of those with
migrant backgrounds more than improving
the actual services accessible to the public.
While the migrant population experienced
higher rates of medical issues such asabortion or infant mortality, the plan points
out the difference in health behaviors
between migrants and non-migrants as thecore reason that separates these two groups.
Migrants often have inadequate knowledge
31"Sexual Violence Against Refugees: Guidelines on... - UNHCR." Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.
32"Programme on Migration and Health 2002–2017"https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/strategie-und-politik/nationale-gesundheitsstrategien/gesundheitliche-chancengleichheit/programm-migration-und-gesu
ndheit-2002-2017.html. Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.
33"Population by Migration Status"
https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/en/home/statistics/popu
lation/migration-integration/by-migration-status.html.
Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.

of healthcare due to communicationdifficulties. This leads to the worsening of
the existent health problems that are broughtby smoking, or different diets between
locals.
As this program suggests, the lack ofhealthcare is not only about the accessibilityof healthcare itself but also the language
barrier that prevents refugees from accessing
existent systems.

Subtopic III: Prevention of Sexual
Assaults
In addition to providing mental, physical,
and medical care for females who aresexually assaulted, it is important to do thebest in preventing sexual assaults. Causes ofsexual violence can be divided into twoparts: location/design and social
communities. 34

distance from camps to areas with food,water, and other necessities, the lack ofpatrols and lighting in camps at night, andthe lack of locks on camp shelters.
2. Social Community 36
The social community where refugees resideis a very important element in creating a safe
environment for female refugees. Firstly, theovercrowding of camps creates confusion
amongst residents and also forces residents
to live with strangers. Other problems
include the acceptance of bribes by policeand other officials that lowers the level of
security, the officials themselves being
involved in the crimes, and the state of stressof residents (difficulties in resettlement,
employment, or poverty which sometimes
leads to drug use or alcohol addiction).

Key Points
1. Location/design 35
High crime rates in the surrounding
environment and isolation from the rest of
the local population are often reasons forsuch violence at refugee camps because
these places tend to lack recognition about
female protection. Other causes are the34"Sexual Violence Against Refugees: Guidelines on... - UNHCR." Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.
35"Sexual Violence Against Refugees: Guidelines on... - UNHCR." Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.

36"Sexual Violence Against Refugees: Guidelines on... - UNHCR."Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.

3. Prevention and Response
There are no direct laws to combat thesexual violence of refugees. However, the
UNHCR has presented a guideline on how
to combat the issue in “ Sexual Violence
Against Refugees: Guidelines on
Prevention and Response” in 1995 .37 The
guideline specifically focuses on the twomain causes mentioned above: thelocation/design and the social community.
In terms of location/design , the guideline
calls for states to set refugee camps awayfrom borders or areas with frequent crimes
and to implement locks, lighting, patrols,
and protective materials like fencing at
shelters. In addition, the guideline alsosuggests shortening the distance between
camps and areas with basic supplies to lower
the possibility of the refugees being attacked
during that duration. Other suggestions are
to secure space between unrelated families
and individuals, allow relocation of refugees
when necessary, and provide special care to
those prone to violence such as
unaccompanied or widowed women.
In terms of social security , the proposal
encourages the refugees themselves to takepart in the prevention of these cases.
Cooperating to let others know in the case ofan emergency (such as calling for help when
37

"Sexual Violence Against Refugees: Guidelines on... - UNHCR." Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.

a refugee sees another refugee being
attacked), allowing females to take part inleadership roles to eliminate the malesupremacy and dominance in theenvironment, and letting female refugees'
direct voices be heard and taken into
consideration are some ways of prevention.
For host countries, the guideline asks for thevisibility of staff at all times and encourages
the recruitment of female workers at camps
for a sense of comfort. Often, cases ofsexual assault are easier to be talked about
with the same people of the same sex.
Other suggestions include teaching officials
to understand sexual violence andprosecuting offenses. The proposal also asks
for the education of refugees, NGO staff,
UNHCR staff, and government officials tocorrect any false rumours that may support
sexual violence. It could also informrefugees on what to do and what not to do incase they get assaulted. Lastly, highlighted
in the guideline is the importance of thereunification of family and confidentiality
when handling private cases of sexualassaults at all times.

Case Studies
Women Victims of Violence Project in Kenya
Kenya is one of the places where there are
increasing cases of sexual assaults. To tackle
this, UNHCR and the Kenyan government
cooperated to improve the case in the
Women Victims of Violence Project. From
February to August 1993, 192 cases of rape
were recorded; keep in mind that this is only
the number of reported cases. In camps inNorth Eastern Kenya, many cases are left
untold because of social stigma. Also, it isnotable that a few out of 192 reported cases
involved the Kenyan police. 38
With the outbreak of the Somali Civil War,
about 200,000 refugees were housed incamps. This soon became a target for locals
who came looking for money, food, and sex
targets. Reasons for the insecurity of thesecamps were the state of poverty the locals
were in, only without financial aid unlike therefugees, and the lack of officials and NGOs
to ensure security in such places. These referto the withdrawal of MSF (Médecins Sans
Frontières) members following thegang-rape of a female doctor and the
Kenyan police's decision to stay in theircompounds in fear of being shot. Because
the officers were also targets of shifta
attacks and the government did not

38"THE HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH GLOBALREPORT ON WOMEN'S ...." Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.

investigate and prosecute the rape cases, thesituation was not improved. 39
In response to this, UNHCR and the Kenyan
government cooperated to prevent thesecrimes. The Women Victims of Violence
Project's purposes are "to develop measures
for improving physical security in andaround the refugee camps to prevent
violence," “provide counseling and therapy
to tear the physical and emotional trauma,"“provide material assistance and skills
training to enhance the livelihood of rape
survivors," and “promote
consciousness-raising amongst the public
and police on the emotional and physicalconsequence of rape." 40
As a solution, firstly, they introduced
fencing around the camp areas, increased thepresence of police officers at camps, andheld more patrols including ones involving
helicopters to achieve physical safety. As forrefugees, the government and UNHCR
introduced counseling and medical services,with the help of the international donor
community, to treat refugees after being
sexually assaulted. Also, officers were39

"THE HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH GLOBALREPORT ON WOMEN'S ...." Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.
40"UNHCR's Women Victims of Violence Project in
Kenya: An Evaluation Summary" 8 June 1995,
https://www.unhcr.org/excom/scaf/3ae68bf90/unhcrs-women-victims-violence-project-kenya-evaluation-summary.html

Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.

educated on the humanitarian and humanrights of refugees. As a result, 200 cases ofrape in 1993 decreased to about 50 throughAugust 1994.41

standpoints, the UN has worked to raiseawareness, equip women and children withthe correct information and tools, andprevent unwanted sexual intercourses.

No Means No
A program called No means No, whichteaches adolescents self-defense strategies tocombat rape, was implemented as aworkshop for girls in Nairobi, Kenya. With
the cost of $1.75 per student, there was a
62% decrease in cases of sexual assaults one
year after the workshop. Moreover, 9% of
the girls reported having been assaulted thefollowing year, compared to 25% the year
before. 42 Prevention does not only apply tothose already suffering from cases of sexualassaults. However, by educating them, we
can protect those who are prone to it in the
future.

UNHCR 2020-2022 Strategy and Action
Plan43
In August 2020, UNHCR issued the2020-2022 Strategy and Action Plan torecognize their progress and remaining
problems. This plan also takes into
consideration the effects of COVID-19. To
guarantee the refugees a safe place to talkabout their experiences, the right tools toprevent any sexual misconduct, andprotection against sexual violence, UNHCR
works to achieve the following: a)prevention and awareness-raising, b)
encouraging survivors to come forward, c)investigations on disciplinary actions, d)vetting and reference checking, and e)
working in partnership. As a result of theseworks, the protective network of hostcommunities and families is expanding.

Past Actions
The UN, with mainly UNHCR, SOCHUM,
and UNDP leading the way to protect
female refugees against sexual violence, hasestablished various protocols and agencies
in the past. Tackling this issue from several

UN Action Against Sexual Violence inConflict 44
43

41"THE HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH GLOBALREPORT ON WOMEN'S ...."Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.
42"Violence against children" July 2018,https://www.bigwin.org/nm_pent_bigwp/wp-content/uploa
ds/2018/07/Violence-Against-Children-Big-Win-Philanthro
py-July-2018-FULL-REPORT.pdf . Accessed 31 Jul.

2021.

"Tackling sexual misconduct: 2020-2022 Strategy
and ... - UNHCR."
https://www.unhcr.org/protection/women/5f3cfec44/t
ackling-sexual-misconduct-2020-2022-strategy-actio
n-plan.html. Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.
44"UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict United Nations ...." 30 Jun. 2021,
https://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/about-us/un-action/. Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.

UN Action Against Sexual Violence inConflict was created in 2007 in response to
the June 2006 Symposium on Sexual
Violence in Conflict and Beyond to prevent
sexual violence in conflict-affected areas.
Through campaigns such as Stop Rape Now,
twenty-member entities including UNDP,UNHCR, and WHO work together to protect
female refugees against sexual assaults. 45
UNDP(United Nations Development
Programme)46
Formed in 1965, UNDP works to eradicate
poverty and reduce inequality. In response tosexual misconduct against women andchildren, UNDP protects survivors withlegal prosecutions and sanctions; they
investigate all allegations of sexual
harassment, exploitation, and abuse, impose
sanctions when allegations are substantiated,and may refer matters to national authorities
for criminal prosecution. 47
45"14 AGENCIES COMMITTED TO ENDINGSEXUAL VIOLENCE IN ...."
https://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/report/14-agencies-committed-to-ending-sexual-violence-in-conflict/UN-Action-14-A
gencies-Committed-to-Ending-SVC.pdf. Accessed 31
Jul. 2021.
46"About us | United Nations Development
Programme - UNDP."
https://www.undp.org/about-us. Accessed 31 Jul.
2021.
47
"Prevention and Response to Sexual Misconduct |United Nations ...."
https://www.undp.org/accountability/prevention-andresponse-sexual-misconduct. Accessed 31 Jul. 2021.

Questions to Consider● Does your country accept refugees
from other countries? At what rate
does your country accept them?
● What has your country done toprevent sexual assaults of female
refugees?
● What is your country's stance on
medical care for sexual assaults offemale refugees?
● What is your country's stance on
mental care for sexual assaults offemale refugees?
● What has your country done toprovide mental and physicalhealthcare for refugees, especiallywomen who are sexually assaulted?
● How have religion, culture, tradition,and values in your country shaped
the current situation? What are somefactors that led to the lackof/plentitude in care for refugees inyour country?
● How can your country identify
sexual assaults? What are somepossible measures?

Tips from the Chairs
Firstly, be prepared to present your country’s
stance, and fully understand what yourcountry aims to achieve in this conference.
Knowing your country, including its
relations with other countries, greatly helps

you to make persuasive speeches on the
spot. Researching beforehand is essential in
having a great MUN experience; the more
knowledge and statistics you have about
your country, the more confident andconvincing you will sound.
During the conference, do not hesitate toraise your placards and start motions. It isnever embarrassing to make mistakes in
MUN as long as you learn from them. Be
active and never be afraid of going for new
motions or topics.
Your speeches at the podium should be clear
and concise. Clearly state the current
situation, your country’s past actions, andthe solution(s) you suggest to solve theissue. You do not need to prepare perfect
speeches beforehand; rather, try to deepen
your understanding of the topic and yourcountry. Have a clear and distinct idea ofwhat you want to achieve at the conference.
While a delegate's ultimate role in theconference is to come up with a resolution to
improve their country's state on the topic of
the conference, it is also important that adelegate has a wide perspective on the issue,
and to try to think globally. The conferenceis a place for representatives from all over
the world to come together to talk about acommon issue. Therefore, try to use that
opportunity to think about how combating

the issue with the cooperation of fellow
countries will help you and the others.
As unmoderated caucuses are chances fordelegates to freely speak with one another, it
will always help to communicate with a lotof countries and to take in different ideas
and possibilities.
Lastly, as the conference is an opportunity tomeet new people with different values andideas, be friendly to one another to make thebest of it. Even when ideas do not match,
respect one another for what each has tobring to the stage.

Guidelines for Position
PapersPosition papers must clearly articulate thecurrent situation of your country and briefly
explain the past actions it has taken, further
denoting possible solutions. Papers may also
include international resolutions andstrategies; however, the main focus must be
your country. Every year, a handful ofdelegates submit position papers with very
basic information about their countries, suchas geographical location and major tradeexports. Unless such information directly
relates to the topic, it should not be
addressed in position papers.

Closing Remarks
Thank you all so much for participating in
JMMUN. Please read this background guidethoroughly and prepare for JMMUN. We
cannot wait to have a meaningful conferencewith your diverse ideas and resolutions. See
you all in March!

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