Rape In War Demands More Attention From Medical Editors And Health Professionals

Main Category: Aid / Disasters
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Psychology / Psychiatry;  Mental Health
Article Date: 27 Jan 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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Rape in war is common, devastating, and too often ignored, says a new editorial in the open-access journal PLoS Medicine. The staggering toll of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since 1991-5.5 million deaths, 1.5 million displaced people, and up to half a million victims of sexual violence-demands attention be paid to the unconscionable use of rape as a weapon of war, which has also been documented for conflicts in Burma, Sudan, and the former Yugoslavia, among others.

The International Criminal Tribunal recognized rape as a crime of genocide under international law in 1994, but rape continues to be conducted with impunity in many armed conflicts, leaving women and communities devastated. Rape is still largely ignored by the international community, the editorial argues.

"Medical journalists and editors, along with health care professionals, have the authority, the skills, and the audience to draw the world's attention to the brutality and intolerability of sexual violence in armed conflicts," say the PLoS Medicine editors. "Medical professionals are powerful lobbyists, whose recognition of the devastation could galvanize support for the work of humanitarian organizations and advocacy groups in documenting sexual atrocities and holding states accountable when human rights and international law are violated."

Citation:
"Rape in war is common, devastating, and too often ignored."
The PLoS Medicine Editors (2009)
PLoS Med 6(1): e1000021. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000021
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PLoS Medicine is an open access, freely available international medical journal. It publishes original research that enhances our understanding of human health and disease, together with commentary and analysis of important global health issues.

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The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource.

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