Stop Rape Now
June 18, 2009
(7 votes, average: 4.43 out of 5)
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Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1820, which condemns rape and sexual violence in conflict, and calls for an end to it all as a threat to international peace and security. I have said it before and will yell it again—rape and sexual torture are weapons of mass destruction, used as tools of warfare to rip apart communities, families, and lives. While I will always have plenty to say on this, tomorrow’s anniversary is the moment to talk about the future—I cannot stop thinking about what can we do to once and for all get rid of this violence and protect the rights of thousands of human beings.
I believe we have to get specific—if you look at Security Council Resolution 1612 protecting children in armed conflict, you see time limits, specified violators, and working groups. I am convinced that if we put those same specific mandates on Resolution 1820, we could begin bringing the end of sexual violence—just as I am convinced that if it were reported that 20,000 to 50,000 men were raped in conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, people would be going crazy to bring that same end to sexual violence!
But being specific does not mean just setting mandates or pressuring courts to stop letting perpetrators off the hook. It means we need YOU to be specific, to raise awareness and bear witness. I need you to talk to local media, to put letters in mailboxes of your elected officials, and to talk to your friends and colleagues about women like Lumo Sinai, a young girl in the Democratic Republic of the Congo who was violently gang-raped and left incontinent, dismissed by her fiancé, and rejected by her family.
I will also be very happy to be able to host a guest blogger tomorrow from Liberia: her Excellency President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson, who will write more about tthe anniversary and the UN’s Stop Rape Now campaign. Please look out for it!
Last Monday I attended a seminar on gender equality and gave a speech on the importance of ending violence against women. You can read it here. During the discussions at the conference, it was pointed out that we need common indicators to measure the statistics when comparing levels of gender equality in Europe. I am all for this! It is important to point to best practises amongst our neighbouring countries, but also to underline deficiencies in order to rectify the situation. A woman in the audience also pointed out that we should include violence as a fifth area of comparison in gender equality studies, besides the four areas we normally study: education, health, business and politics. This could indeed make a difference, because as many representatives of business pointed out: if it gets measured, it gets done. Having proper statistics about victims of gender-based violence is the first step towards stopping it!
Today, as European leaders are meeting across the street to discuss, amongst other issues, the appointment of a new Commission President, I feel the need to point to the importance of respecting principles of gender equality. Ideally, every member state should nominate a man and a woman for the post of Commissioner, after which the new President would find it easier to put together a more gender balanced team. Through their 50-50 Campaign for Democracy, the European Women’s Lobby has been advocating for an increased presence of women amongst top posts in Europe. A new European Parliament has been elected, with a slightly higher percentage of women, but this is not the end of the story. Now we need to focus our efforts on ensuring parity in the European Commission and for top jobs within the European parliament!
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June 18th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Dear Commissioner,
How is possible that the European Commission is encouraging « parachuting »? Mr. Henrik Honolei, 39, was appointed Deputy General Director for enlargement while passing a competition organized by his own cabinet, the cabinet in which he is just now working. It is obvious that there is a flagrant conflict of interest.
Why organizing false competitions when in reality all is about parachuting your fellows?
Just wondering how would you plead for transparency? This is about communicating Europe. Markus
The Moderator adds: Commissioner Kallas, for whom Mr. Hololei works, did not take part in the selection procedure. The final interviews were conducted by the President.
June 18th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
“just as I am convinced that if it were reported that 20,000 to 50,000 men were raped in conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, people would be going crazy to bring that same end to sexual violence!”
I don’t think you’ve quite got it yet Margot - do you ever? Women get raped and men get shot or hacked to bits with a machete… Do you still want gender equality?
June 19th, 2009 at 10:39 am
One thing you should understand, Markus: Mrs Wallström doesn’t actually reply to points and questions posted here and, except occasionally, she doesn’t “communicate Europe” here. She only tells us about the bees in her bonnet. She’s particularly obsessed with what she calls “gender equality” (she really means “sex equality,” but because English is not her first language and usually she speaks it so well, I don’t correct her; lots of native English-speakers make the same mistake, too) and with listening to the views of ignorant young people.
June 19th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Our democracies are getting raped by the EU and its antidemocratic Lisbon Treaty! Who’s gonna stand up and save our democracies from EU unelected rule?
Crapaud, the reason she doesn’t respond is because we are right in exposing the EU for the undemocratic democracy-destroying conspiracy that it is. Our arguments cannot be refuted since there is no EU-demos so by definition no EU-democracy.
June 20th, 2009 at 1:03 am
First of all, we should work to end all sexual violence and work for gender equality.
@Crapaud
I agree that this is really not “communicating Europe” that most people can relate to and feel that the Union is accomplishing important things for international peace and security in support of the United Nations.
We should hear that anti-rape policies are in a larger context of the Union’s values and emphasis on human rights in its partnership agreements with other international actors, which could also include bringing war criminals of the Balkans’ conflict to justice in The Hague. These are a part of the Stabilization and Association Agreements that Balkans countries have with the European Union, the endgame is EU membership.
Europeans should know that the reason why Radovan Karadzic is now on trial for his crimes is the requirement imposed on Serbia that it work to catch all war criminals prior to candidate status (although I think that holding up candidate status from Mladic is too steep). The United States, NATO or the United Nations is not responsible for the cooperation with Serbia that has turned Serbia into a most pro-Europe nation; the European Union has done this…and has also accomplished this with the other Balkans nations. There is lasting peace coming to this area with the Serbs as the most enthusiastic supporter of peace- and the European Union played the biggest part of creating this future.
This is what Europeans should learn about the great and wonderful things that their Union is doing on the international level, with anti-rape and human rights as part of those great and wonderful things.
June 20th, 2009 at 9:05 am
TO Crapaud. Understand well that Wallstrom is NOT concerned with gender or sex equality. She is a member of a group of Swedish feminists stricltly concerned with how to improve things for women. Mainly, if not exclusively, their OWN KIND of women. There is no great vision of a future egalitarian Europe here, only “how many advantages can we amass for women”. Recently, from her own country for example, ity was shown in a balanced report on “relationship violence” that women engaged in and initiated as much as men or more. Miss Wallstrom only reports on the half that interests her namely “mens violence against women”. She recently used the greater mortlity and poorer health care options of Swedish baby boys as a way to argue that women should have 52% of all votes since they were 52% of the population. Conveniently forgetting about the boys mortality issue. Her own boys are doing fine, other parents are not so lucky. She advocated that Swedes should vote for women candidates only even though Sweden alreday had a majority of women at the commission and the European Parliament. NOthing since South Africa in the 1980s has been that blatantly xenophobic, or gender xenophobic. That is the kind of comissioner we have to deal with.
June 22nd, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Marcel: you don’t have to convince me of the undemocratic nature of the EU. I agree with all you say.
eslaporte: Are you hoping for a job at the EU Commission? What a great cheer-leader for the EU you are (if somewhat sycophantic-sounding)! “…the great and wonderful things that their Union is doing on the international level,” indeed! But what about the less attractive, grubby and positively destructive things that the EU is also doing on the international level? Things like shutting down dissent (Marta Andreasen, Paul van Buitenen, Hans-Martin Tillack), like destroying African countries’ sugar industries by subsidising sugar-beet prices in Europe, like the sordid affairs highlighted by Christopher Booker (see http://tinyurl.com/mrq3tf). Things like these are reason enough for realists like Marcel and me to think that the EU does more harm than good and should be eliminated. Mrs Wallström could use this blog to argue her (and your) point of view, but chooses not to, instead riding her irritating non-EU hobby-horses.
Georges: you obviously know Mrs Wallström rather better than I do. I would not contradict anything you say.
June 22nd, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Crapaud: I have studied the Union’s relationship with Africa, and I simply don’t see where the sugar industry is being destroyed. I also don’t see African people being silenced by the European Union, which would be out of character in the Union’s international relations. If there is a problem, I’m sure that some that read this blog would check out if that is occurring and try to fix the problem.
The idea that you don’t know the wonderful things that the Union is doing internationally (and those of other posters) proved my point that the Union simply does not properly communicate the work that it does internationally, in promotion of security, European values and international norms. As a woman, I believe that women’s rights as essential, but they are in the back drop of the larger missions the EU is doing. For one, the EU has undertaken at least three ESDP military missions in Africa in support of the United Nations’ efforts. The Union is working in Africa, in places like Chad, Kenya and especially the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Security Council has asked the European Union, specifically, to undertake these missions, which currently includes patrolling for pirates off coast of Somalia. Most European citizens should and would be proud of this work.
Before some people scream about the Union’s growing military power in the area of security and defense policy, they should know that the use of EU military power is limited to specific circumstances. Creating stability and the conditions of peace are the first steps toward addressing problems with the economy and industry of places like Africa. People living in war –torn areas like Somalia cannot think about normal lives of growing crops for export until there is stability and security – which the European Union is making great contributions to. These tasks take time to being about fruitful and lasting efforts.
Lastly, it would be nice, however I am not an EU citizen, but a student of the Union who is currently doing her master’s paper on the EU as an international security actor. Now, before you scream about that – to let you also know that there are lots and lots of other non-EU citizens out there that are also students of the EU.
June 22nd, 2009 at 9:21 pm
How is possible that the European Commission is encouraging « parachuting »? Mr. Henrik Honolei, 39, was appointed Deputy General Director for enlargement while passing a competition organized by his own cabinet, the cabinet in which he is just now working. It is obvious that there is a flagrant conflict of interest.
The Moderator adds: Commissioner Kallas, for whom Mr. Hololei works, did not take part in the selection procedure. The final interviews were conducted by the President.
June 24th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Erin LaPorte,
Studying the EU are you ? Want to live in it instead of America ?
I`m studying Disneyland and want to live there.
July 29th, 2009 at 9:29 am
how it is possible that european commision is encourging it .commissner does not take part in the selectin procedure .the final interviw is taken by the peresident it self .
October 30th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
As I said we will need to change some fundamential things in order to take this people’s from the USA. It is not an easy task and these people don’t give up so easily. We will need to remove Jesus Christ from our continent first. That is the thing that slows us down here in Europe. Eventually we will find new spiritual persons in USA.
We will need to focus at USA spiritually persons. That is the way their system works anyway. We have seen to much people that were made Christs from Pentagon. So we will need to forget and remove things made by this man. He is dead, so there is nothing wrong that will hurt him. And the point is that economy slowing factor is not connected with Europe in any way.