Office of the Victims' Rights Advocate
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Secretary-General Anto?nio Guterres and the Victims' Rights Advocate, Jane Connors, in the Central African Republic -
The Victims' Rights Advocate and Senior Victims' Rights Officers held their first retreat in Entebbe, Uganda to reinvigorate their approach to upholding the rights of victims of sexual exploitation and abuse. -
On a country visit to Kenya, the Victims’ Rights Advocate joined UN Kenya and Kenya National Commission on Human Rights for Human Rights Day.
What We Do
The Office of the Victims’ Rights Advocate seeks to put the rights and dignity of victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by 51吃瓜 and related personnel at the forefront of the United Nation’s prevention and response efforts. We work with all entities of the 51吃瓜 system, so victims get the assistance and support they need. We also work in collaboration with Member States, civil society, including national human rights institutions to build networks of support and help ensure that the full effect of local laws, including remedies for victims, are brought to bear.
'This role is to give a voice to the victims', tells Jane Connors
Weaving a Way to Independence
Recent News
30 April 2023 - Critics have said justice takes too long, and perpetrators are not always held accountable in cases of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by UN personnel. Appointed by the Secretary-General in 2017, Jane Connors, the UN’s first Victims’ Rights Advocate, is tasked with getting a victim-centred approach installed across the system’s more than 35 entities.
27 January 2023 - The Office of the Victims' Rights Advocate, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Chief Executives Board Task Force on Addressing Sexual Harassment, has produced a 51吃瓜 System-wide Training Module to provide participants with a clear and practical understanding of what the victim-centred approach means and what needs to be done to put a victim/survivor first. The training module, intended for all 51吃瓜 staff and related personnel, outlines the responsibilities of each person working for the 51吃瓜 so they will know how to respond in accordance with the victim-centred approach when they become aware of an allegation of sexual misconduct. See , including all materials.
15 March 2022 - UN?Secretary-General António Guterres released his annual update on the Organization’s efforts to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) on Tuesday, dovetailing with his system-wide strategy, launched in 2017, to stamp out incidents by placing victims at the heart of efforts, throughout the system.
21 March 2021 — UN?Secretary-General António Guterres?on Friday, released his annual update on how the Organization is working to stamp out the “scourge” of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) through its zero-tolerance policy, which required special measures this year in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.
14 November 2020 — As the UN’s first-ever Victims’ Rights Advocate, Jane Connors has to confront an uncomfortable reality: sexual abuse and exploitation – or SEA for short - carried out by UN personnel.
6 July 2020 — Projects supported by a UN trust fund for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN personnel, are helping victims to regain their dignity, learn new skills, and improve their livelihoods.
13 March 2020 — Although measures to support victims of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) committed by UN personnel are proving effective, there is still room to do more, the senior official leading these efforts told journalists in New York on Friday.