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Photo: Mati Milstein
British Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould
Photo: Mati Milstein
Photo: Eyal Nevo
Bar Refaeli
Photo: Eyal Nevo

Time to act against sexual violence in conflict

Op-ed: British ambassador Matthew Gould and Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli come together to write against use of rape as a weapon of war.

An ambassador and an international supermodel may seem like an unlikely partnership. We move and work in different worlds. But we have come together here to write about an issue we both feel deeply about. An issue that often is swept under the carpet and rarely spoken about: The use of rape as a weapon of war.

 

 

This has for too long been left unmentioned. Rape in conflict is so brutal, so harrowing, that it has been easier not to talk about it. Yet we need to talk about it. It destroys whole communities and ruins the lives of far too many, women and men, boys and girls.

 

The sheer scale of the evil should have shamed us into action long ago. For example, an estimated 20,000-50,000 women were raped in the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, but fewer than 50 cases have gone to court. During the brutal 14-year civil war in Liberia, the World Health Organization estimates between 61% and 77% of women in that country were raped.

 

You might ask what this has to do with us. And you might ask what it has to do with you. We hope you won't, but will rather add your voice to the tidal wave of voices from around the world saying "it’s time to act."

 

This is a global problem, and it needs a global response. We know that the world is capable of agreeing that even during war, certain actions are unacceptable, and illegal. We have come together in the past to ban cluster munitions and chemical warfare. We must now remove sexual violence from the list of acceptable practices in wartime.

 

This is that day this happens. In London, dozens of the world's leaders are joining together to do something about it. Representatives from over a hundred countries are gathering for the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. It is a groundbreaking event with one aim: For the world to express with force and clarity that the use of warzone rape is unacceptable and illegal, and that those who use it will be brought to justice.

 

The magnitude of the horror can seem overwhelming, and the challenge of stopping it too difficult. But British Foreign Secretary William Hague started this campaign with Angelina Jolie because they believe foreign policy has got to be about more than just dealing with urgent crises and issuing communiqués – it has to be about improving the condition of humanity.

 

We hope the global summit will create so much momentum that we begin to shatter the culture of impunity, so that in the future, any man with a gun in any conflict zone will think twice before ordering or committing rape.

 

We are all too aware that sitting together around a table and talking about the problem doesn’t solve it. So the summit will agree practical solutions that all the countries participating can get behind.

 

For example, the UK will launch an International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict. This will help investigators preserve evidence after an attack, improve the chances of prosecution later, and protect victims from further trauma.

 

Our goal must be a world in which it is inconceivable that thousands of women, children and men can be raped in the course of a conflict – because a clear international framework of law, deterrence and accountability makes it impossible.

 

We are proud that Britain and Israel have together endorsed the UN Declaration to End Sexual Violence in Conflict and is joining the global push for action in London this week. On Thursday, Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni will also join her counterparts from around the world to say as one: It’s time to act.

 

Add your voice to the global call for action. You can join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook using #TimeToAct.

 


פרסום ראשון: 06.12.14, 00:10
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