Biden boosts US effort to stem sexual violence in war zones
President Joe Biden is strengthening U.S. policy aimed at stemming sexual violence in war conflict zones
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.President Joe Biden is strengthening U.S. policy aimed at stemming sexual violence in war conflict zones, elevating the problem — increasingly documented in Ukraine and elsewhere — to the level of a possible serious human rights abuse that triggers sanctions and other actions against foreign perpetrators.
Biden, a Democrat, on Monday will sign a presidential memorandum that seeks to combat the use of rape by both foreign governments and individuals as a weapon of war, according to a senior administration official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the decision ahead of the announcement.
The memorandum directs for the first time that the State and Treasury departments and other agencies give equal consideration of acts of sexual violence to other serious human rights abuses in leveraging sanctions and other punishment against foreign actors and to respond to the full extent possible, the official said.
Currently, U.S. policy allows for the imposition of sanctions for conflict-related sexual violence, but it is not commonly used.
Biden's action comes when the United Nations has warned that sexual violence in Ukraine, especially against women and girls, remains prevalent and underreported. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield has previously cited “a mountain of credible reports of atrocities committed by Russia’s forces against civilians,” including “horrific accounts of sexual violence.”
The Biden administration on Monday pointed to a proliferation of sexual violence cases in Ukraine, Ethiopia and elsewhere. It cited a U.N. report that found 3,293 verified sexual violence cases in 2021 across 18 countries, an increase of about 800 compared with the previous year. The U.N. has estimated that for each rape reported in connection with a conflict, about 10 to 20 cases go undocumented.
The administration had previously pledged $400,000 in addition to its annual contribution of $1.75 million to the Office of the U.N. Special Representative to the Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. The State Department plans an added investment of $5.5 million over the next two years to civil society projects and survivor groups seeking sexual violence accountability and will expand programs to help survivors and investigate and document acts of such violence.