Rape as a weapon of war
by EWL member Soroptimist International of Europe
It is pain, it is hurt, it is suffering, it is trauma, it is an enormous humiliation. It stays with a woman for her life, its repercussions are passed on to the following generations. It may end in pregnancy, it may end in stigmatization, it may end in self-hate, it may never heal, it may end in depression and death.
It is barbarous, it is inhuman: Rape as a weapon of war. It is meant to demoralize and destabilize the civil society of a region or of a country by turning on women and girls.
In all wars, women have been raped because they are women. It happens right now in Ukraine.
Rape as a weapon of war is an abominable crime, which is banned by so many international treaties. Though all nations agree on banning rape, every single time that there is a war, there is generalized rape.
Soroptimist International of Europe urges all soldiers and other foreign forces in Ukraine to remain humans and to stay away from sexual assault. We urge all commanders to make sure that their soldiers stay away from raping women and girls. And we urge all who know about such crimes to make sure that they are prosecuted.
Rape in war zones has to stop at once and forevermore.
Through advocacy and action, Soroptimists of Europe passionately fight for the well-being and the empowerment of women and girls and for the elimination of all forms of violence against them. Safety from rape is a basic human right, which has to be granted to all women no matter where and when.
