On 11 April, Foreign Secretary William Hague and the seven other G8 Foreign Ministers agreed a landmark declaration on preventing sexual violence in conflict. Children often make up the majority of survivors of rape and sexual abuse in war. Watch Save the Children’s powerful film below to find out why now the time to act.
Rape and sexual assault are shockingly common during war. Even more horrifying is the fact that the majority of victims of these attacks are often children.
Foreign Secretary William Hague, UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie and UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Bangura at the launch of the G8 Declaration on Sexual Violence in Conflict.
The overwhelming majority of survivors never see any justice for what they have endured… This has to change. To my mind, this cause is the slave trade of our generation
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| — | Foreign Secretary William Hague, speaking at the launch of the G8 Declaration on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 11 2013 |
In March 2013, Foreign Secretary William Hague and UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visited the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda to highlight the problem of sexual violence in conflict. Find out more about the visit on Storify.
At the G8 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, William Hague and members of the other seven G8 countries agreed a landmark declaration on preventing sexual violence in conflict.
Find out more about the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative.
Follow @FCOHumanRights on Twitter #timetoact, #sexualviolence, #conflict
Rape is not a women’s issue, or a humanitarian issue, it is a global issue
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| — | UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie, at the launch of the G8 Declaration on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. |
In March, Foreign Secretary William Hague and UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visited Democratic Republic of Congo to highlight the problem of sexual violence in conflict. Here are some of the people they met, and others affected by the violence.
Photos credit Adel Sarkozi, CARE International UK.
My husband left me. He said he could not live with a women who was raped
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| — | Judith, sexual violence survivor, DRC - via CARE International. Listen to Judith’s story. |
On a recent visit to Democratic Republic of Congo, Foreign Secretary William Hague visited Lac Vert Camp, where he met Judith, who survived sexual violence during the intense conflict in the country. After Judith was raped, her husband left her. Find out more about Judith’s personal story in this moving video from CARE International UK, one of the UK’s partners on the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative.
At the G8 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting today and tomorrow, the Foreign Secretary will seek a clear statement of intent and concrete commitments to begin to address the culture of impunity for perpetrators of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war. Judith’s experience reveals the horrific human impact of sexual violence in conflict and highlights why it is so important for the international community to act, and to act now.
Foreign Secretary highlights Judith’s story on Facebook
Follow on Twitter: @FCOHumanRights #timetoact #sexualviolence #conflict
On 10 and 11 April, Foreign Secretary William Hague, will meet G8 Foreign Ministers from the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, France, Germany and Italy in London. The Preventing Sexual Violence in conflict Initiative (PSVI) will be one of five key policy priorities to be discussed.
This week, the UK will seek a clear statement of intent and concrete commitments to begin to address the culture of impunity for those who use rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war. This will include support for a new international protocol on the investigation and documentation of sexual violence in conflict and practical assistance in countries affected by this problem.
Our generation has an opportunity to confront the use of rape and sexual violence in war. Now is the time to act to prevent and address sexual violence in order to resolve conflicts and build sustainable peace.
We are tweeting on the issues from @FCOHumanRights - use the hashtags #timetoact and #sexualviolence to add your voice.
