‘Time to Act’ and End Sexual Violence in Conflict – Sorensen

The Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina/EUSR supports wholeheartedly the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict which is being held in London this week. The Summit aims to agree on practical steps for ending the culture of impunity that surrounds such crimes; providing more support to victims; and shifting the stigma of shame from victims to perpetrators. The tragic conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been crucial in generating and informing the campaign.

Head of the EU Delegation to BiH/EUSR, Ambassador Peter Sorensen, said:

“Rape and sexual violence are used as weapons of war around the world. They can cause wounds worse than those caused by bullets. And while people despise rape in peaceful times and call for harsher sentences for rapists, there is a shocking tolerance of sexual violence in war. It has to stop.

“Public outrage and political will resulted in cluster munitions and chemical weapons being banned. We must add sexual violence to this list, because it also destroys communities and the lives of women and men, girls and boys. Sadly the effects last long beyond the original crimes.

“I welcome the initiative of a new International Protocol with standards for documenting and investigating sexual violence in conflict zones, which will be launched at the Summit this week. It will help to strengthen prosecutions for rape in conflict, and increase the prospects for successful convictions.

“The myth exists that rape in war is inevitable or a lesser crime. It is high time for everyone to debunk that myth and to do everything possible to end sexual violence in conflict.”    

ST