Cyprus’ permanent representative at the United Nations Maria Michael on Tuesday night told a security council debate that sexual violence during Turkey’s invasion of the island in 1974 “remains an open wound in Cypriot society”.

Speaking at a debate on sexual violence in conflict, she said many victims of rape and other sexual crimes during the invasion have been “suffering in silence all these years, while the occupying power has never brought the perpetrators to justice”.

As such, she called for the international community to “strengthen legal processes” at national, regional and international levels “to ensure the criminal accountability of perpetrators” of such crimes.

“We are shocked by the dramatic increase in conflict-related violence and by the severity and brutality of the recorded incidents” in recent years, she said, before adding that Cyprus “unequivocally condemns gender-based violence in all its forms and manifestations”.

“Sexual violence continues to be used as a tactic of war, torture, terrorism and political repression. This is a heinous crime which is neither random nor isolated, but a manifestation of historical inequalities and patriarchal power structures.”

She then added that sexual violence during conflict can “constitute a war crime, a crime against humanity, or even an act of genocide”.

Later in her address, she described sexual violence as “a peace and security issue” and “an obstacle to sustainable peace”, and said it requires “targeted operational and political responses” to be stopped.

“The era of impunity for the perpetrators of these atrocities must end once and for all,” she said.

“Prosecutions and accountability are key to ensuring lasting peace,” she said.

She also called for women to have more “meaningful participation in decision-making structures for peace and security”, saying that “although women and girls are disproportionately affected by sexual violence in conflict, they remain underrepresented”.

As such, she said “concrete measures” must be taken to ensure the “full, equal, and safe participation” of women.

“Cyprus, as a victim of foreign military invasion and continued occupation for five decades, has experienced the horrors of sexual violence in a conflict situation. Sexual violence remains an open wound in Cypriot society, with most victims suffering in silence all these years, while the occupying power has never brought the perpetrators to justice,” she said.

With this in mind, she said it is “imperative to address the roots of sexual violence in conflict settings and gender-based violence”.

“Cyprus reaffirms its commitment to work with the international community to strengthen the global response to sexual violence in conflict settings, adopting a survivor-centric approach, while ensuring justice and accountability,” she said.