The mass rape of women in Congo (Report, 25 August) illustrates the difficulty the UN faces in trying to fulfil its mandate to prioritise the protection of civilians. Civilians now account for 70% of casualties in wars and most are women and children. Sexual violence against women and girls has been part of conflicts from Rwanda and Bosnia, to Sierra Leone, Haiti, Congo and Afghanistan. In Congo a few months ago, I spoke to women who had, in effect, been used as weapons of war and who had endured horrific forms of violence. While I am haunted by memories of their suffering, I remain inspired by the courage and tenacity they show. That is why the promise of UN resolution 1325 on ending violence against women in conflict has to be fulfilled and there must be concerted international action to increase awareness of the importance of engaging with women in conflict prevention and resolution.
I therefore urge the coalition government to take these matters as seriously as Labour and Gordon Brown did when, for instance, he appointed me earlier this year as Foreign Office minister with cross-departmental responsibility for bringing coherence and direction to our work on these issues. My role was to ensure that our work was co-ordinated and strategic, so the UK was better able to support the efforts of the UN secretary general's new special representative, Margot Wallstrom.
So far the government has been silent on the matter and in spite of repeated questioning has not put forward the name of the minister who would undertake these vital tasks of ensuring that foreign policy, development and military assistance work together to ensure that international law as it applies to women and girls is respected.
Glenys Kinnock
Lab, House of Lords
