The Government of the United States has agreed to strengthen the international prosecution of sexual violence in conflict zones, in such a way that it will appear among the list of priority reasons for adopting sanctions against individuals or entities.
The US president, Joe Biden, wants to give this type of abuse “the same consideration” as other “serious” violations of Human Rights, for which he has promoted a specific memorandum with which he wants to improve the protection of victims and advance in accountability.
Washington echoes United Nations data that shows that, for every rape reported in a context of violence, between ten and 20 remain undocumented. “The United States does not accept this violence as an inevitable cost of an armed conflict,” reads a statement from the White House released on Monday.
The US Administration has also taken the opportunity to review its current commitment to combat this scourge, including increased funding for the UN office for sexual violence in conflicts or for projects aimed at investigating and documenting abuses committed in different areas.
The latest announcement coincides with the celebration in the United Kingdom of a forum of ministers where precisely this issue is discussed and comes, according to the White House, “at a time when (sexual violence) persists with impunity throughout the world, including in the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine and in Ethiopia”.
