Last month, the UN Security Council voted unanimously (which is not an easy feat) to classify rape as a tactic in war and a threat to international security:
Stresses that sexual violence, when used or commissioned as a tactic of war in order to deliberately target civilians or as a part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilian populations, can significantly exacerbate situations of armed conflict and may impede the restoration of international peace and security, affirms in this regard that effective steps to prevent and respond to such acts of sexual violence can significantly contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security, and expresses its readiness, when considering situations on the agenda of the Council, to, where necessary, adopt appropriate steps to address widespread or systematic sexual violence;
You can read the full text of the resolution 1820 here.
The move comes a few months after the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that practice of the widespread rape has ‘taken a life of its own‘ and reached epidemic proportions in some African conflict zones.
Christopher R. Albon is a Ph.D. candidate specializing in armed conflict, public health, human security, and health diplomacy.
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