U.N. deems rape a war crime

The U.N. Security Council said Thursday that rape and sexual violence can be punished as war crimes, the Los Angeles Times reported today.

According to the article, the approved U.S.-sponsored resolution stipulates procedures for monitoring and reporting on sexual violence in armed conflicts, and “urges the U.N. to impose sanctions on violators” and hold accountable peacekeepers “who prey on vulnerable women and children instead of protecting them.”

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who chaired the session, rejected the stance explicated last year by China, Russia, and South Africa, who said sexual violence in conflicts should not be linked with international security. “We affirm that sexual violence profoundly affects not only the health and safety of women, but the economic and social stability of their nations,” Rice told the Security Council.

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