U.N. Security Council Passes Resolution Condeming Violence Against Women
by ERICA LIEPMANN, Causecast Associate Editor
Since succeeding Kofi Annan as U.N. Secretary-General in 2007, Ban Ki-moon has made ending violence against women and girls a top priority. Last year, Ki-moon launched the UNiTE To End Violence Against Women campaign, setting a list of ambitious goals to accomplish by 2015. U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has also been a dynamic voice condemning sexual violence and the oppression of women.
Today was a historic day for international women’s rights. Together, Ki-moon and Clinton helped press the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution that condemns sexual violence as a tool of war and makes it a priority to prosecute offenders.
Here’s video from the U.N. Security Council Meeting:
It’s difficult to believe that the U.N. did not already have a resolution against using violence against women in conflict zones, but then again, the phenomenon has only recently been documented and understood. Resolution 1820 by the U.N. Security Council last year was the first U.N. document to research and document the tactic of rape used in war and legitimize the understanding of it as a systematic problem that needs to be addressed. The resolution looked into instances in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Rwanda in the 1990s and the ongoing war in Democratic Republic of Congo: in all of these cases, sexual violence against women and girls was and continues to be pandemic.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s reaction to the meeting:
If you’re interested in taking action to protect women and girls around the globe, check out UNiTE’s Action Center. There’s also amazing groups like the international organization V-Day or the DRC-specific organization Raise Hope for Congo working to defeat violence against women – get involved in their amazing work!
Not only should individual rapists not continue to go unpunished, but more importantly, the leaders that order mass sexual violence as a battle tactic must be brought to justice at the International Criminal Court.
Photo by U.S. Department of State, flickr.
- Posted by Causecast
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