REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LONDON - Indonesia has underscored the need for the international community to take concrete steps to put an end to violence against women and children in conflict-plagued areas, Minister of Foreign Affairs Marty Natalegawa, said.

Marty made the remarks at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict Areas held in London on June 12-13.

"Indonesia is encouraging common approaches to address the issue through four concrete steps, such as prevention, early detection, protection and legal action, and justice for victims," he pointed out.

The four steps were important to ensure synergy and effectiveness of common concrete steps to put an end to sexual violence in armed conflicts, Marty stated. The minister attached significance to the role played by the peacekeeping mission force in handling sexual violence in armed conflicts.

The peacekeeping mission force, staying at the forefront of the battle to maintain peace in conflict-plagued areas, must be capable of preventing and handling sexual violence in armed conflicts, he pointed out. As one of the countries contributing troops to the UN peacekeeping mission, Indonesia had instilled human rights values and knowledge as well as humanitarian law in its peacekeeping troops, Marty noted.

Indonesia is one of the 14 countries that are widely known to be the champions of Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI), a global initiative to prevent and end sexual violence in armed conflicts. The global summit brought together more than two thousand participants from 114 countries, including two heads of state, 70 ministers, and hundreds of experts.

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