Angelina Jolie mobilizes against rape as a weapon of war
updated the 6 October 2015 à 23:59
After embracing humanitarian causes in Cambodia and Haiti, actress Angelina Jolie organises a summit on June 10-13 in London to denounce rape in war.
Angelina Jolie has taken the reins of her battle horse. And will not let them go. The Goodwill Ambassador of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is organising – along with the Foreign Minister of the United Kingdom William Hague – an unprecedented summit in London from June 10 to 13. Its purpose? The end of rape in conflict zones. In a highly acclaimed speech, the actress reiterated that rape is by no means a trivial consequence of armed conflict, but a weapon of war in itself. Last year, after a trip to Jordan where she met with Syrian refugees, she had already criticized the Security Council of the UN for its lack of action on rape that was plaguing the war-torn country. Over these three days, which take place in the presence of ministers, lawyers, NGOs and military experts shall, in particular, serve to remind politicians of their responsibilities to these abuses that threaten the masses.
Victims are invited to testify, but also prominent figures in the field like Dr Denis Mukwege. He treats rape victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the country, according to the UN, there have been 200,000 women and girls who suffered from sexual violence since 1998. An intolerable situation that affects all areas where there is armed conflict. Between 250,000 and 500,000 women were violated during the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, and more than 60,000 during the conflict in Sierra Leone. And at least 20,000 during the conflict in Bosnia in the early 1990s, the actress had already touched on in 2012 in her directorial debut film, “In the Land of Blood and Honey”.
Aside from the conference, everyone is invited to join the movement on social networks by using the hashtag #TimeToAct, as did the Pope or Cara Delevingne:
Grégoire Provost
