Rape as a weapon of war

Send an email to the president of the EU: urging him to put Europe at the forefront of global efforts to end violence against women.

• Posted on Aug 17, 2007

Rape - Simple, accessible, and cheap, rape is an extremely effective form of combat, used systematically to terrorize and humiliate. Rape is unmatched for its range of impact and scope of damage. It destroys entire communities. Sexual violence is not just a by-product of war. It's a military strategy, a tactic of genocide.

The bodies of women and girls are battlegrounds in conflicts throughout the world. Some 50,000 women were raped during the war in Bosnia. As many as 500,000 women were raped during the Rwandan genocide. Today, more than 50 women are raped every single day as violence rages in South Kivu, DR Congo. And it doesn't end there.

Stop violence against women and girls

This message from 'International Rescue Committee' UK

Thousands of women are beaten or raped every day, the often forgotten victims of conflicts all across the world. Join us in helping stop the violence.

In May, the European Council called for significant scaling-up of programmes to combat violence against women, including in conflict and post-conflict situations. But we need to keep up the pressure to see these words turned into action.

Visit the URL below and send an email to the president of the EU: urging him to put Europe at the forefront of global efforts to end violence against women. http://www.advocacyonline.net/eactivist/user/userJ.jsp?CLS@J8ilW4b5ad5QzziMkh

The International Rescue Committee UK is an independent British charityestablished in 1997 as part ofhe International Rescue Committee global network. Founded in 1933, the IRC provides emergency relief, protection of human rights, post-conflict reconstruction, resettlement assistance and advocacy to those uprooted or affected by violent conflict or oppression around the world. All the IRC's work reflects its commitment to freedom, human dignity and self reliance.
http://www.theirc.org/uk/

Source for this Message:
'International Rescue Committee' UK

^ top of page ^