THEMATIC REPORT 2017 SEXUAL TORTURE Key action 4 Apply special approaches for women, promote gender equality and tackle stereotypes of femininity and masculinity Challenges: Recommendations: • In some countries, gender equality is very weak, violence against women is commonplace and women’s rights are not respected. This puts them at a higher risk of sexual torture, exposes them to further abuse after the event and undermines the rehabilitation process. • Training and awareness-raising sessions on sexual torture, gender-based violence, gender inequality and women’s rights should be carried out on the community level and for all professionals working in the field, including state and non-state service providers, such as police forces, health professionals, social workers, lawyers and human rights defenders. • Stereotyping of women and girls reinforces the stigma about sexual torture. • Gender mainstreaming should occur across service providers so that, for example, female translators and female doctors are available. • Women and girls who experienced sexual torture may have specific needs compared to other torture survivors. • Rehabilitation centres and NGOs should develop specific activities such as community education sessions that aim to address the root causes of sexual abuse. They should also encourage the participation of volunteer survivors who have overcome their past and now wish to raise their voices for the cause and to help others. • Men and boys are historically subjected to patriarchal and machist gender roles that restrain them from disclosing sexual torture which impedes rehabilitation. • Rehabilitation centres should design holistic programmes tailored to female survivors of sexual torture that combines therapy and medical treatment with social empowerment, legal assistance, vocational training and income generation activities. Patriarchal gender roles and ideals of virility often restrain men and boys from admitting their abuse. • Rehabilitation centres should develop a sensitive approach to the treatment of male survivors of sexual torture. This includes the creation of an environment that allows them to deconstruct their perception of masculinity and to disclose themselves as vulnerable and in need of help. Awareness-raising campaigns should further break with traditional gender roles and ideals of masculine strength and invulnerability. page 29