The United Nations has designated today, November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. A quick Google News search about the day yields some strange results. It seems like almost all of the media coverage of the event is from international news sources with almost none in the United States. As an example of international coverage, here is a story from Rwanda:
Rape as a weapon of war is the most notorious and brutal way in which conflict impacts on women.
As the world marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women today, it is important to realise that violence against women is no longer just a violation of women's rights but also as a crime of genocide.
In a landmark case, Jean Paul Akayesu, a former bourgmestre of Taba commune was charged with rape among other crimes of genocide, which he allegedly committed in the Taba commune. He was the bourgmestre at the time of the alleged acts and was found guilty. The ICTR sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The ICTR judges not only applied the 1948 Convention for the first time but also enriched its definition by arguing that rape, when perpetrated in a certain manner, could constitute as a criminal act within the wider genocide scheme.
It underscored the fact that rape and sexual violence may constitute genocide just as any other act of serious bodily or mental harm, as-long-as such acts were committed with the intent to destroy a particular group targeted.
Feminist Law Professors has an interesting post about the day highlighting some of the history involved.
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