On the occasion of the 60th Munich Security Conference, Women Political Leaders (WPL) and Munich Security Conference (MSC) calls on international leadership to take decisive action against sexual violence in conflict zones.
The systematic rape of women and girls in Israel, with its subsequent online publication did not cause an international outcry. Also in Congo, in Niger, in South Sudan, in Ukraine, as in all other ongoing conflicts and wars: atrocities of sexual violence committed to women and girls receive little to no attention. This is outrageous and has to change. WPL calls to action with five critical demands:
WPL Demands:
- Punish the perpetrators. Sexual abuse during conflict is a recognised war crime, yet perpetrators very often go unpunished. We demand an end to impunity for sexual violence perpetrators.
- Deal with sexual violence as a priority. War crimes tribunals must prioritise addressing sexual violence with the seriousness it deserves. We call for an end to the reluctance in addressing this issue.
- Document and investigate. Every instance of rape and sexual assault in conflict must be thoroughly investigated and documented to ensure justice for survivors.
- Strengthen prevention. Political and military leaders must raise awareness and emphasise that sexual violence is a grave war crime.
- Make it an issue. The risk of sexual violence must be raised in all conversations concerning armed conflicts. It is imperative that this issue receives the attention and action it deserves.
Take Action:
Join WPL and MSC in demanding action to combat sexual violence in conflict zones.
Together, let’s take a stand against this heinous crime and ensure justice for survivors.
“Every new wave of warfare brings with it a rising tide of human tragedy, including new waves of war’s oldest, most silenced and least condemned crime.” Pramila Patten, United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
Sign HereSigned by:
Ambassador Christoph Heusgen
Chairman of the Munich Security Conference
Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili
Chair of the WPL Board;Economic and Public Policy Expert and Senior Economic Adviser to the Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative (AEDPI); World Bank Vice-President, Africa Region (2007-2012)
Silvana Koch-Mehrin
President of Women Political Leaders (WPL) Founder & President, WPL; Member of European Parliament (2004-2014); Vice President of the European Parliament (2009-2011)
WPL Board
Isabel Saint Malo
Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama (2014-2019); Member, WPL Board
Lindiwe Mazibuko
Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, Futurelect; Member, WPL Board
Oley Dibba-Wadda
Executive Director, The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development; Member, WPL Board
Tzipi Livni
Vice Prime Minister of Israel & Foreign Minister of Israel (2006-2009), Minister of Justice of Israel (2013-2014); Member, WPL Board
Political Leaders
Agnes Ameede – Member of Parliament, Parliament of Uganda
Alexandra Attalides – Member of Parliament, House of Representatives, Republic of Cyprus
Cinzia Pellegrino – Senator of the Italian Republic
Delphine Pronk – Ambassador, Chair of the Political and Security Committee of the European Union
Emilie Haya Moatti – Former Member of the Israeli Knesset
Ingrid Jetter – Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina (2019–2023)
Karine Jiroflée – Member of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium
Kira Rudik – Member of Ukrainian Parliament, Leader of the Voice party, VP of ALDE
Kolbrún Halldórsdóttir – Former Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources of Iceland
Larissa Waters – Senator, Senate of Australia
Laura Ferrara – Member of the European Parliament
Leah Taylor Roy – Member of the House of Commons of Canada
Lisa Badum – Member of the German Bundestag
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve – Member of the Swedish Parliament
Maria Edera Spadoni – Former Vice President – Italian Chamber of Deputies
Marina Pendeš – Minister of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2015–2019)
Mary Bicensio Wani – Member of Parliament, South Sudan National parliament
Merja Kyllönen – Member of the Finnish Parliament
Rejhana Dervisevic – Member of Parliament, Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Samuelu Penitala Teo – President of the Parliament, Tuvalu
Shukria Barakzai – Former Member of the Wolesi Jirga
Zanda Kalnina-Lukasevica – Deputy Speaker, Saeima of the Republic of Latvia
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Abigail Ellis – Research Officer, Government of Grenada
Anna Zobnina – Director, European Network of Migrant Women
Benjamin Appiah-Kubi – Executive Director, International volunteer organization for women education development
Dieketseng Nzhadzhaba – Managing Director, Tellus Energy Company
Germana Barba – Founder, Women in Action
Gil Goffri – CEO, Open Mind Projects
Hadas Havkin – Midwife, Kupat Holim
Hagit Goldstein – Lawyer
Jackie Horvitz – Chief Procurement Officer , Soom Foods
Liat Mashiah – Manager, Pardesim
Margret Anna Einarsdottir – Founder & CEO, Justikal
Mia Bengel – Political adviser , Echord – Hebrew University
Moshe Israel – Manpower
Odile Rozen – XR consultant, Inex360
Rina Ram – Freight operator
Saina Bayatpour – Ceo, Sheciety
Sarah Nakintu – Founder, Shalom Womwn Development Network
Sigal Borin – Senior BI Business Analyst, Veracity
Sivan Miller – Ceo, Scriptus
Sugandha Parmar – Co-Founder, Centre for Gender And Politics (CGAP)
Tamar Tamir Mashiah – Architect
Thelma Musanhu – Director, Period Pride Keep Our Girls in School Campaign
Udeme Akpan – Co founder, Network Against Domestic Violence Foundation
Unnop Jaisamrarn – Professor, Chulalongkorn University
Yaffa Sagi Weisbach – Freelance Consultant
… and 45 more signatories.
