UN Special Representative Works to Combat Rape in Conflict Situations
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 2:15 PM
Although her position does not officially begin until April, recently appointed
UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Margot Wallstrom has already begun visiting conflict zones around the world. Wallstrom intends to combat the use of rape as a weapon in conflict situations by ending impunity for rape perpetrators and changing societal attitudes towards women.
Wallstrom’s visits will primarily be to Africa, beginning with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Chad. Women in the DRC are still suffering the consequences of a war that technically ended in 2003. Rape remains a common occurrence for women living in the refugee camps along Chad's border with the Darfur region of Sudan. Wallstrom also plans to visit the makeshift camps created in Haiti after January’s earthquake.