Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie and British Foreign
Secretary William Hague vowed on Tuesday to produce practical action from the
world’s first summit on ending sexual violence in conflicts.
They resolved that concrete steps would be taken to punish
those responsible and help victims.
Up to 1,200 government ministers, military and judicial
officials and activists from up to 150 nations will attend the June 10 to June
13 summit.
The summit is intended as a call for action to protect
women, children and men from rape and sex attacks in war zones.
Hague and Jolie, special envoy of the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR), said the conference was the culmination of two years of work.
“It is a myth that rape is an inevitable part of conflict,”
Oscar-winner Jolie said at the opening of a fringe event at the summit in
London’s dock lands.
“It is a weapon of war aimed at civilians,” she added.
“It is done to torture and humiliate people and often to
very young children … and as an international community we are responsible for
that.”
Jolie’s involvement in humanitarian issues dates back to
2001 when she travelled to Sierra Leone as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and saw
the impact of years of civil war.
It was estimated that 60,000 women were raped in Sierra
Leone.
In 2012 she joined forces with Hague to tackle sexual
violence in conflict and post-conflict situations which led last year to a
declaration now signed by about 150 countries.
They have pledged to end impunity and provide justice and
safety for victims.
“This whole subject has been a taboo for far too long,” said
Jolie, calling for the summit to be a turning point.
Hague said the meeting, to be attended by U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry, would agree an international protocol on Wednesday to push
for international standards on recording and investigating sex crimes.
Which he said were needed to bring more people to justice.
“We want the summit to shatter the culture of impunity for
sexual violence, to increase support for the survivors and change the situation
on the ground for the most affected countries,” he said.
Practical ways to do these included strengthening laws so
there were no safe havens for perpetrators, training armies and
peacekeepers, and increasing funding to help survivors and protect women and
children, he added.
The summit comes after a recent run of shocking cases of
violence against women that was expected to raise the pressure on the world
community for action rather than just promises.
These have included the kidnapping of 200 Nigerian
schoolgirls over a month ago.
The stoning to death of a pregnant woman in Pakistan; in a
so-called honour killing, and the gang-rape and murder of two Indian teenagers
who were hanged from a tree.
Hague will host a ministerial meeting on security in Nigeria
and the missing schoolgirls on Thursday. (Reuters/NAN)
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