In a historic move by the UN Security Council, rape is now considered a tactic of war as well as a threat to international security. It is felt that rape works as a weapon that destroys communities, which in turn can impede efforts at peace.
The US-sponsored resolution was voted in unanimously by the 15-member security council, which classifies rape as a weapon of war. However, China, Russia, Indonesia and Vietnam don't necessarily believe that rape is a matter for the UN to decide, reported
BBC's Laura Trevelyan.
The document says rape
"can significantly exacerbate situations of armed conflict and may impede the restoration of international peace and security".
Within the council, a debate ensued in which it was said that
"this silent war against women and girls" needed to be dealt with at a national level. Strategies need to be comprehensive and support given to national and civil levels.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the world now recognised that sexual violence profoundly affected not only the health and safety of women, but the economic and social stability of their nations.
Areas where mass sexual violence has thrived have been identified as
Yugoslavia, Sudan's Darfur region, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Liberia. Here, communities have been destroyed, which in turn has had an impact on the men, women and children.
Every day, some 40 women are raped in just the Democratic Republic of Congo, and even the peace keepers sent there to protect them are raping the women.
The question now will be: Will this resolution be a deterrent?
Rape Now Classified As A 'Tactic of War'
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