The Guardian: The world is failing women and girls whose bodies have been weaponized
Lilianne Ploumen, Dutch MP, founder of SheDecides, and distinguished fellow at the Overseas Development Institute

“…Bringing justice to women and girls is too often crushed by powerplay, geopolitical maneuvering, multifaceted negotiation strategies, and economic interests. We can do better: we should aim for one worldwide sanctions regime to address sexual and gender-based violence in conflict. One that will sanction all those who weaponize women’s bodies and that can be applied regardless of borders. One regime that can be implemented without ongoing, fruitless debates — perpetrators of sexual violence should be sanctioned regardless of what the Security Council wants. … The U.K., as a permanent member of the Security Council, can play an important role, given the emphasis on the rights of women and girls in its development and security policies. We have an opportunity now to hold sexual terrorists accountable. We must acknowledge the fact that we have fallen short of our duty in the U.N. and work to reverse this now to bring justice to women and girls” (9/5).