Sexual violence plagues every country. It is not
just a domestic criminal justice issue. Acts of sexual violence demean our
collective humanity.
They perpetuate conflict and instability for generations.
They make us all less secure, less prosperous and less free.
So there are few
causes worthier of international co-operation.
In February, I was proud to announce to the
world that the United States had adopted detailed guidance to make crystal
clear that those who commit sexual violence in armed conflict, or as a crime
against humanity, are unwelcome.
This week, I will urge my colleagues from
around the world to do the same.
This week, I will join U.K. Foreign Secretary
William Hague and ministers and advocates from around the world in London at
the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict.
We will pool our
expertise, diplomatic skills and resources toward the common goal of relegating
sexual violence to the annals of history where it belongs.
Drastic change can come quickly when we commit
ourselves. It wasn’t so long ago that many people in the United States did not
recognize violence against women as a crime.
One of my proudest accomplishments
as a young Massachusetts prosecutor was launching the state’s first program for
counseling rape victims and putting these cases on a fast-track for trial.
In the U.S. Senate, I fought alongside
then-Senator Joe Biden to support the Violence Against Women Act. And I was
proud to introduce and help move through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
a key piece of legislation, the International Violence Against Women Act.
This issue remains deeply personal for me. Too
many of the places I have visited as Secretary of State bear the scars of a
time when rape was used as a tactic of oppression and intimidation.
Indeed,
sexual violence in conflict is one of the most persistent and most neglected
injustices today.
As my country’s top diplomat, ending this cycle
of violence is a critical mission. The first step is to begin treating sexual
violence in armed conflict as a major international crime.
It is not and cannot
be seen as an inevitable consequence of conflict. Nor is it a simple infraction
of a country’s penal code.
The next step in this overdue process will be
persuading every government to deny safe haven to those who commit these vile
acts. That should be a key legacy of the London conference.
The February change in U.S. visa policy affirmed
that sexual violence can be a war crime: it is often organized and systematic,
not an unavoidable by-product of war.
According to our updated guidance, even
those occupying the highest echelons of military or government who ordered,
engaged in, or looked the other way when their subordinates committed acts of
sexual violence will not be welcome in the United States.
I challenge other countries to do the same. Pass
legislation that excludes these perpetrators from entering your countries.
Participate in this global campaign of accountability and containment. Protect
your citizens and send a strong message to offenders that they are unwelcome
and that impunity ends at your borders.
We must communicate a unified stance
with a single, loud voice: there is no place in the civilized world for those
who commit acts of sexual violence.
We must declare in unison: “They can’t run,
and they won’t hide here.”
(This entry originally appeared in
the Evening Standard.)
Go to www.state.gov/secretary and follow
@JohnKerry on Twitter for more from the Secretary of State. About the Author: John Kerry serves as the 68th
Secretary of State.
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