New York
CNN
—
Hillary Clinton, Sheryl Sandberg and a coalition of students, authorities officers and authorized consultants mentioned Friday find out how to stop sexual violence as a weapon of war.
“We have now seen an epidemic, an alarming epidemic of gender-based violence as a weapon of struggle,” Clinton mentioned throughout her opening remarks on the occasion in New York hosted by Columbia College’s Institute of World Politics and the Georgetown Institute for Girls, Peace and Safety. Clinton, the previous Secretary of State within the Obama administration, is a member of Columbia’s college.
“This ought to be seen as the worldwide downside that it’s, however sadly it’s nothing new,” Clinton added, noting this situation re-emerged throughout latest conflicts in Sudan, Darfur, Ukraine, and in Israel on Hamas’ October 7 assault.
Israeli authorities have accused Hamas militants of committing widespread, systemic sexual violence as a part of their assault. Regardless of mounting proof from Israeli investigators and eyewitness sources, Hamas has repeatedly denied allegations that its fighters dedicated sexual violence throughout the assault.
Sandberg, the previous chief working officer of Fb and founding father of the nonprofit group Lean In, interviewed girls who’ve been engaged on addressing this situation in Ukraine and Africa, emphasizing that you will need to study from previous conflicts the place these atrocities have occurred with the intention to stop these similar horrors from happening sooner or later.
“Every battle units the precedent for the following,” Sandberg mentioned. “How we deal with every one issues for what occurs sooner or later.”
Sandberg has been elevating consciousness to the stories of widespread sexual violence on October 7, and previously spoke out alongside Clinton at a UN occasion final December in New York that broadcast witness testimony and different proof of rape getting used as a software of struggle throughout the assaults.
“I really feel so strongly that regardless of the politics of a state of affairs, rape can by no means be ignored, as a result of that will set such a harmful precedent for individuals everywhere in the world,” Sandberg mentioned Friday.
Sandberg interviewed Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning lawyer who has been documenting Russia’s struggle crimes in opposition to civilians. Matviichuk mentioned sexual violence throughout the struggle in Ukraine is violence that “is directed to the entire Ukrainian society.”
“The survivors of sexual violence really feel disgrace as a result of it occurs with them,” Matviichuk mentioned. “Their kinfolk, households, neighbors really feel guilt as a result of they will’t cease this. And the opposite members of communities, they they really feel worry, as a result of they are often handled in the identical method.”
Some audio system known as for brand spanking new approaches to tutorial analysis. Others recognized insurance policies or collaborations that might assist. Clinton in the end known as for extra help from the UN and different worldwide gamers in holding accountable perpetrators of any such violence.
“Accountability is crucial in stopping gender violence,” Clinton mentioned. “It’s significantly necessary when the violence is dedicated by individuals in positions of authority, together with the army or the police pressure.”
“A part of the rationale these crimes are so rampant is as a result of they’re perpetrated with impunity,” Clinton added.
Lastly, Clinton implored that the convention on Friday was not merely about “the symbolism of girls in management roles” along with her and Sandberg as headliners.
“It’s about understanding deeply, the very actual ways in which girls and women are impacted in another way by international challenges together with this problem of conflict-related sexual violence,” Clinton mentioned.
Clinton’s remarks at Columbia College – and remarks by another audio system – have been briefly interrupted by protesters chanting “Free Palestine.” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, former US Ambassador to the UN seemingly addressed these protestors at one level, recognizing “there are numerous feelings about all of those points.”
“Please be assured that there isn’t any situation that’s associated to sexual violence, violence wherever on this planet that we’re not involved about and we’re not engaged on each single day,” Thomas-Greenfield mentioned.