better retardedly late than never: rape declared a war crime

and it only took thousands of years!

http://www.znbc.co.zm/media/news/viewnews.cgi?category=7&id=1213955728

Rape is weapon of war- UN
The UN Security Council has voted unanimously in favour of a resolution classifying rape as a weapon of war.The document describes the deliberate use of rape as a tactic in war and a threat to international security.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said violence against women had reached “unspeakable proportions” in some societies recovering from conflict.

The UN is also setting up an inquiry to report next June on how widespread the practice is and how to tackle it.

Human-rights group hailed the resolution as historic.

The BBC’s Laura Trevelyan said China, Russia, Indonesia and Vietnam had all expressed reservations during the negotiations, asking whether rape was really a matter for the UN security council.

But the US-sponsored resolution was adopted unanimously by the 15-member council.

It described sexual violence as “a tactic of war to humiliate, dominate, instil fear in, disperse and/or forcibly relocate civilian members of a community or ethnic group”.

The document said that the violence “can significantly exacerbate situations of armed conflict and may impede the restoration of international peace and security”.

During the debate in the council, Mr. Ban said: “Responding to this silent war against women and girls requires leadership at the national level.”

“National authorities need to take the initiative to build comprehensive strategies while the UN needs to help build capacity and support national authorities and civil societies,” he added.

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