The UN has finally declared that rape is a weapon of war. A bit bloody late, to my mind, but it is finally done. It is an immense issue. It has probably always been an immense issue. I must say, sadly, that I feel that it will always be an immense issue.

Declaring it an internationally recognised crime of war will not halt it’s occurrence any more than other war crimes have been halted. It is important to raise awareness of the issue but my fear is that it will not change anything.

”UN denounces rape as weapon of war”

Well at least it is headed in the right direction.

all parties to armed conflict immediately take appropriate measures to protect civilians, including women and girls, from all forms of sexual violence.

Well, the statment means nothing because nothing will happen. Oh well, maybe they should have been doing this before like Graeme said.

”UN denounces rape as weapon of war”

Well at least it is headed in the right direction.

all parties to armed conflict immediately take appropriate measures to protect civilians, including women and girls, from all forms of sexual violence.

Well, the statement means nothing because nothing will happen. Oh well, maybe they should have been doing this before like Graeme said.

You have to wonder how they intend to enforce this - to protect women and girls in war-zones when, let’s face it, they can’t ensure their safety and security in our cities, on our public transport, in our streets and saliently, in their own homes.

Rape in conflict has been illegalized and considered a war crime since the enforcement of the body of laws in the 1949 Geneva Conventions (enforced in 1950)

So the latest UN move to champion the cause is a tad reactionary.

Article 27, Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, Adopted on 12 August 1949 by the Diplomatic Conference for the Establishment of International Conventions for the Protection of Victims of War, held in Geneva
from 21 April to 12 August, 1949,
entry into force 21 October 1950

http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/92.htm

Women shall be especially protected against any attack on their honour, in particular against rape, enforced prostitution, or any form of indecent assault.

that’s what it says @ article 27

thanks Grace

So it was declared in 1949 and denounced in 2008. So, denunciation is a way of focusing attention on it ? Or is it another way of saying: ”look, it still happens and there’s nothing much we have really effectively been able to do about it so we’ll wave a big stick around for a while”. Or is something going to actually be done about it ?

But yes, this was my mistake in my first comment - it was recently merely denounced... it was long ago declared. I yield.

That’s correct. What did it take so long to declare this obvious thing! In fact women have been the victims of molestation and harassment over the centuries whenever two countries fought. Nowadays even terrorist outfits and the personnel fighting against them also involve in similar behavior.

It’s because the UN, being what it is, has to issue a statement against it in the light of what has been happening over the past few years (e.g., Congo, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur, etc.)

Oh man, this pisses me off so much about UN. They issue ”statements” post facto some atrocity or other. Statements which could have been made when the situation was still nascent. They wave their little wands around after many have died or been brutalised or, in this case, while it is still going on.

The UN, I am sorry to say, is a toothless guard dog obese from lack of exercise and dosed up on valium, asleep at the gate. I understand that there are issues of political and historical sensitivity and national boundaries here but for god’s sake what is the point in having such an organisation if they can only make statements... my mental image of the UN is of a group of ageing anorexic transvestites in silvery butterfly/angel garb with little magic wands and dancing around like fairies casting magical spells on each other. The soldiers they put in as ”peacekeepers” are so hamstrung by rules of engagement that they can not, when given half a chance, actually intervene and save lives (i.e. ”keep the peace”). Furthermore, UN troops themselves have been found guilty of raping civilians...

*argh*
(rant over... this stuff infuriates me - Rwanda’s genocidal slaughter was a case in point)