Dear editor, Rape is a word few people can bring themselves to utter here, least of all those who have been through it. That’s why nobody knows how many women have been victims of war-related rapes, because of reluctance to report the crime, but victims’ advocates say the number is in the tens of thousands. In war, any tactic an aggressor can use to demoralize his enemy works in his favor. Rape does just that. It is seen as a very effective way to undermine an enemy. Violence against women, especially rape, has added its own brand of shame to recent wars. Rape, identified by psychologists as the most intrusive of traumatic events, has been documented in many armed conflicts. Sexual violation of women erodes the fabric of a community in a way that few weapons can. Rape’s damage can be devastating because of the strong communal reaction to the violation and pain stamped on entire families. The harm inflicted in such cases on a woman by a rapist is an attack on her family and culture. The UN and all governments should put strong efforts to end Wartime rape, including the taking of women and girls as slaves to soldiers. NYABUGOGO
