A new Amnesty International Report 'This is what we demand. Justice!' Impunity for sexual violence against women in Colombia’s armed conflict, documents how the rights of survivors of sexual violence to truth, justice and reparation continue to be denied by the authorities.
"The Colombian authorities must take decisive action to ensure those responsible for crimes of sexual violence, many of which are either war crimes or crimes against humanity, are brought to justice. If the authorities continue to fail in doing so, the International Criminal Court should step in."
"The Colombian authorities must take decisive action to ensure those responsible for crimes of sexual violence, many of which are either war crimes or crimes against humanity, are brought to justice. If the authorities continue to fail in doing so, the International Criminal Court should step in."
Often unnoticed, but not for that reason least pervasive, sexual violence is a tool of war used to undermine the enemies morale and humiliate the enemy.
ReplyDeleteOne of the issues with sexual violence is that the legal definition only allows war rape to be prosecuted as a crime against humanity and a war crime when they have become a systematic practice. The other issue is that the way the legal system is designed, if there is no one denouncing being a victim of sexual violence, then there is no investigation, but most of the people who have suffered war rape, may be unable to come forward to the authorities either for fear, or different factors.