One of the nastier crimes that accompanies armed conflict is sexual violence, used as both spoils of war and to humiliate and terrorize the enemy.
“Sexual violence has been a tactic of war since ancient times,” said Vice President Kamala Harris. “Throughout history, those who have waged war have specifically targeted and violated women and girls to exert dominance and power over their bodies and to humiliate and terrorize and subdue entire populations. And sexual violence remains a gruesome part of modern conflict around the globe,” she said.
“In Ukraine, Russian forces have raped women in occupied territories. In Iraq, when ISIS seized territory a decade ago, they forced women and girls into sexual slavery as they massacred thousands. In Sudan, the ongoing conflict includes paramilitary forces terrorizing women and girls through sexual violence. In Haiti, gangs have used sexual assault to rape and coerce communities into submission. And we’ve seen similar horrors in South Sudan, in Ethiopia, Central African Republic, and the DRC. … And October 7, last year, Hamas committed horrific acts of sexual violence.”
“In recent years, the international community has made great progress on recognizing that it is an attack on peace, stability, and human rights,” said Vice President Harris. “The United States has been proud to lead the way at the United Nations and around the world by providing rape kits and healthcare for survivors, training militaries and peacekeepers,” she said. But that is not enough, because globally, our system of accountability remains inadequate.”
“Conflict-related sexual violence must be condemned, unequivocally, wherever and whenever it occurs. And we must fortify systems to prioritize action — systems that support survivors, effectively collect evidence, and promote investigation,” she said.
It's one of the reasons why the Biden administration on June 17 launched the Dignity in Documentation Initiative, a program that will, among others, support UN efforts to end conflict–related sexual violence.
“For far too long, systems, whether law enforcement or judicial, have not sufficiently addressed conflict-related sexual violence,” said Vice President Harris. “And for far too long, the consequences, then, stopped at mere condemnation … rather than going to accountability.”
“The bottom line is: The use of sexual violence as a tactic of war is unconscionable,” said Vice President Harris. “And any failure to hold perpetrators accountable is a failure to live up to, by all of us, our common humanity.”
