The U.S. government has agreed to strengthen international prosecution of sexual violence in conflict zones so that it will be included in the list of priority grounds for sanctions against individuals or entities.
U.S. President Joe Biden wants to give this type of abuse «the same consideration» as other «serious» human rights violations, for which he has promoted a specific memorandum that aims to improve the protection of victims and advance accountability.
Washington echoes United Nations data that show that for every rape reported in a context of violence, between ten and 20 remain undocumented. «The United States does not accept this violence as an inevitable cost of armed conflict,» reads a White House statement released Monday.
The US administration also took the opportunity to review its current commitment to combat this scourge, including increased funding to the UN office for sexual violence in conflict or projects to investigate and document abuses committed in different areas.
The latest announcement coincides with a forum of ministers in the United Kingdom on this very issue and comes, according to the White House, «at a time when (sexual violence) persists with impunity around the world, including in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine and in Ethiopia».
