We’ve seen groundbreaking shifts in the treatment of conflict-related sexual violence by the UN Security Council in recent years. Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go.
Rape in Conflict
Not Only Voiceless, But Choice-less: The Impregnated Victims of Boko Haram
The rescue of hundreds of Nigerian women and girls from terrorist group Boko Haram received more press coverage than the human rights of women and girls are generally allocated. But what wasn’t included in that coverage is how the U.S. is actively denying those same women and girls the medical care they desperately need. Many of those rescued […]
Why We Need to #LiftTheBan on Abortion in War Zones
TRIGGER WARNING: Contains references to sexual violence Being a girl in a country known as the “rape capital of the world” can be fraught with danger. In the latest issue of Ms., Akila Radhakrishnan of the Global Justice Center and attorney Kristina Kallas follow the story of a Congolese woman named Eva. When she was […]
Rape as a Weapon of War: What Happens to Pregnant Survivors?
The war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is formally over, but women and girls remain targets for violence. Still today, all warring parties in Congo routinely use sexual violence as a weapon of war and a tool of social control. The rebels know that women are the center of the community. They learned […]
Fighting Back Against Rape in War
“Sexual violence.” We hear these two words over and over in Congo. They have become a part of the vernacular—and in many ways are a symptom of a highly traumatized society. In every meeting, sexual violence is mentioned and everywhere we go, we meet girls, women and children who have survived rape and assault. And […]
Future of Feminism: Ending Rape As A Tool of War
Sexual assault and rape during wartime cannot–and should not–be brushed off as mere collateral damage. Rather, rape has long been a systematic tool of strategic violence against women. The public and policy makers should know this in order to help prevent future violence–and that’s the mission of the newly launched Women Under Siege, a Women’s Media […]
Rape as a Weapon of War
On October 11, PBS will kick off its new five-part series Women, War, and Peace, executive-produced by Abigail Disney, Gini Reticker and Pamela Hogan. I interviewed Peggy Kuo, a war-crimes prosecutor featured in I Came To Testify, the first segment to air, which focuses on the first-ever international criminal tribunal that addressed rape as a […]