US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to preside over a UN Security Council debate later this month that will press for an end to the use of rape of women as a weapon war, the US ambassador to the UN said Tuesday. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the council chair this month, said Rice would preside over a meeting focused on women and peace and security on June 19.
"At this meeting, we hope the council will adopt by consensus a resolution to be proposed by the United States calling for an end to the use of sexual violence against civilians as a weapon of war," he noted. Khalilzad said the issue of sexual violence against women in conflict and post-conflict situations "has not received adequate attention by the international community."
As an example, the US envoy pointed out that an estimated 30 percent of the women raped in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) wars are affected by the AIDS virus, while as many as 60 percent of the combatants are believed to have the virus.
Late last year, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution urging action to eliminate rape and other forms of sexual violence. That US-drafted text specifically called for the elimination of "rape and other forms of sexual violence in all their manifestations, including as instruments to achieve political objectives."
It urged member states "to take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence," to end impunity for perpetrators of such crimes, to provide victims with greater access to health care, including trauma counselling, and to promote human rights education.
Comments
Comments are closed.