I know it’s really en vogue to criticize the UN as a useless institution, but news today of the new special envoy appointed by Ban Ki-Moon to address sexual violence in conflict is a tremendous step in the right direction for international politics. In his words:

“I have informed the UNSC of my intention to appoint Margot Wallstrom, vice-president of the European Commission, as my special representative to intensify efforts to end sexual violence against women and children in conflict situations,” he said.

“We will continue efforts to end the conflicts in the east (of the Democratic Republic of Congo), restore state authority, facilitate the return of refugees, and protect civilians against all forms of violence including sexual violence,” Ban said.

“I’m horrified and outraged by the use of rape as a weapon of war,” he said.

I know very little about Margot Wallstrom, but in response to her appointment, she specifically addressed what she saw as the problem of people often explaining sexual violence in conflict as a “cultural” phenomenon:

“I say this is not cultural, it is criminal. It is a crime under international law and it is also a war crime,” she told Swedish public radio.

Rape has been a constant feature of war throughout history, used as a tool of communication between groups of men either for the purposes of asserting masculine dominance, of humiliating one’s opponent, or as a reward for good soldiering. Though quantitative data is not available, there seems to be a growing trend in contemporary conflicts to use extreme sexual violence as one of the primary tactics of warfare, and not simply as a by-product of conflict. Hundreds of thousands of women and young girls have been violently and brutally raped in eastern DRC, with most attacks averaging more than 4 perpetrators per victim. Women are being deliberately targeted and destructively abused in what can only be described as sexual genocide.

Though he doesn’t link the processes explicitly in his speech, Ban Ki-Moon speaks also of the economic and criminal activities dominating politics in the same regions witnessing most of the contemporary cases of extreme war rape:

The resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government in Africa is a matter of serious concern. These actions run counter to fundamental UN values, international law, and the AU’s own Constitutional Act. We must also guard against the manipulation of established processes to retain power.

Drug trafficking is also a rising threat to international peace and security in Africa. Criminal networks are very skilled at taking advantage of institutional weaknesses on the ground.

As we address all of these challenges, we must show our determination in the fight against impunity not only in Africa but around the world.

Well, allow me to make it explicit. Though I can’t speak authoritatively for every country, I can say from my research on the DRC and what I’ve read about Sudan that the sexual violence is being perpetrated as a systematic campaign to maintain the chaos necessary to control valuable resources, with the complicity of Western corporations, whose economic concerns clearly outweigh any moral compass they may purport to carry. I can’t help but wonder what obstacles Ban Ki-Moon will face in attempting to implement any recommendations to be found with this new envoy, since the West has already shown reluctance to do anything to address the influence of their corporations on encouraging and exacerbating conflicts in Africa.

I want to stay positive. Maybe with enough attention shone on the international political economy of war rape, something will actually be done to address the crime.