UN Denounces Wartime Rape

The United Nations has again made a clear and strong denouncement against the use of rape during conflict.  The move follows a 2008 denouncement of the practice by the Security Council, who unanimously adopted a resolution which acknowledged the use of rape as ‘a tactic of war and an impediment to peace’.

There for the denouncement of the use of wartime rape is a powerful step towards ending the impunity of what has now become of the weapon of choice in many regions. UN officials, along with the Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative stated that there must be a broader recognized of the use of rape during conflict across the globe. The initiative seeks to raise the profile of sexual violence in conflict among world leaders, while working to end the practice and protect survivors.

Wartime rape “is one of the great peace and security challenges of our time,” she said, but added it “has been the least condemned and most silenced war crime.” said Margot Wallstrom, the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative on sexual violence in conflict (CNN).

As the use of  rape as a weapon of war continues, we are beginning to see some of the effects of such extensive violations to extreme masses of the population, however the psychological effects have yet to be felt in many communities around the globe.

Rape is being used by armed groups to reignite flames of conflict and to terrorize and humiliate communities in Africa, according to Letitia Anderson, women’s rights specialist with the U.N.’s Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict initiative. The U.N. is monitoring five countries closely because of sexual violence in conflicts. The five are the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Liberia, the Darfur region in Sudan, Chad and Cote d’Ivoire (formerly Ivory Coast). But it’s not just Africa at which the U.N. is looking; it’s cross-regional, Anderson told CNN.

While the stand taken by the UN and the creation of an initiative to both recognize and fight the use of rape in times of warfare, there is a great deal that must be done on a global scale to see an end to the world’s oldest weapon of war.  The tolerance and standardization of rape as a weapon of war has lead to its international impunity, and thus increased its silence. Impunity regarding the increasingly brutalized use of rape as a weapon of war combined with its effectiveness, only provokes its use, for the perpetrators are less likely to be tried and punished for the use of this weapon, and if convictions do follow the punishment is disproportionate to the crime.  Short and long-term support and treatment for victims is substantially lacking, which will only serve to exacerbate the use of rape as weapon of war. Thus an end to the perception that rape is a common and unavoidable tactic of war must occur, making it unequivocally unacceptable. In order to do this there are three main areas of focus which must be in place:

• One the issue of gender inequality and bias must be removed in all countries, when such programs are in place at peace time it will significantly reduce the stigma and use of rape and gender-based violence in times of conflict.
• Two, there must be a unified international response to ban (thus UN recognition leads to the ability to categorized and prosecute under international law as a war crime, as in the developments of the prosecutions of genocide)  the use of rape as a weapon of war once and for all, and thus strategies of prevention and awareness must be put into place, including in internally displaced persons and refugee camps and in times of post conflict.
• Three, impunity was come to an end, or victims will continue to remain silent and not seek medical, psychological and legal attention if they feel there is no retribution or care for which they are safe to receive.

If one is listening, victims will talk, thus if aid and government agencies step forward and ask victims to speak out, thus the steps by the UN are a great battle one in the fight to end the use of rape in conflict.  However as a global community we must be willing to not only listen, but provide both the short and long-term care and support, including providing physical and financial access to services for survivors and establish community prevention and awareness programs in even the most rural of villages if we are to end the cycle.