Rape: A Weapon Of War

Rape as a weapon of war is seen as one of the great mass crimes of modern times with it adding its own brand of shame to wars. From conflicts in Bosnia to Uganda thousands of women and girls have been victims to this traumatising crime, with many of these rapes leading to victims being murdered or committing suicide.

The ‘End sexual violence in conflict’ global summit which is currently taking place in London, is a great example of how serious this issue is and needs to be tackled. With over 140 nations at the summit, the summit is seen as an wake up call to the world, a proud declaration that sexual violence is not an inevitable part of war.

Opening the summit, Foreign Secretary William Hague MP who is co-chairing the event said:

There is power in numbers, and if we unite behind this cause, we can create an unstoppable momentum and consign this vile abuse to history."

He added:

From the abolition of slavery to the adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty, we have shown that the international community can tackle vast global problems in a way that was once considered to be impossible.”

A key problem which was made evident by victims of rape was that justice was not a norm. Bosnian rape victim Lejla told her story of the brutality she suffered as a teenager, when the war began. She explained how she was captured and treated as a slave:

The soldiers would drink. We would have to serve them like slaves and they would rape us."

The numbers of women like Lejla who were subjected to sexual violence during the Bosnian War range from 20,000 to more than 50,000. True figures however will be never be known, as women fear being stigmatised if they speak out. Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, who is co-chairing the event said:

We must send a message around the world that there is no disgrace in being a victim of sexual violence, the shame lies with the oppressor.”

While thinking rape is more common with females, men have also been victims of this horrendous crime. Zihnija, a former soldier in the Bosnian army was also raped by military police. His story as well as Lejla’s shows the traumatising experience these victims went through.

The summit has uncovered some of the stark brutality of war, opening the minds up the public to the untold stories of many of the victims across the world. With the world waking up to how serious the issue of rape is, governments need to ensure severe sanctions are in place to ensure that rape is not used as a weapon of war.

Roshni Vekereya