On Wednesday 17 September 2025, the APPG on Women, Peace & Security attended a private tour of the Imperial War Museum exhibition Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict.

The Curator of the Exhibition, discussed the research and design-process behind the Exhibition, focusing on how the Exhibition aims to shed light on the pervasive and devasting nature of sexual violence in conflict, a topic that remains under-discussed.

The Exhibition considers the contexts in which sexual violence occurs in all conflicts, exploring how propaganda shapes perceptions of gender and power. It is hoped that by increasing public awareness and understanding, Unsilenced will empower survivors, inform visitors and contribute towards meaningful changes in the fight against sexual violence in conflict.

The Exhibition features case studies from the First World War to today, examining how and why sexual violence is perpetrated, its impact on victims and survivors and the pursuit of justice and reconciliation. It includes testimonies and interviews with experts including journalist and author of Our Bodies, Their Battlefield: What War Does to Women, Christina Lamb; and journalist and former Chair of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, Sarah Sands. The exhibition also highlights the ongoing work of four NGOs – Women for Women International, All Survivors Project, Free Yezidi Foundation and Waging Peace – all working in the field of sexual violence. It also explores the legal challenges of children born from sexual violence – and how it took until 2022 for Bosnia and Herzegovina to acknowledge children born as a result of sexual violence during the Bosnian War 1992–1995 as civilian victims of war.