Liz Truss: I want to ensure no country can ever again use sexual violence as a weapon of war – iNews

Women and girls are at the heart of the freer and fairer world I want to see. They need the freedom to live the lives they deserve, yet many worldwide are dehumanised as second-class citizens, denied the same opportunities as men and subject to acts of violence or even death.

I am fighting to change that as Foreign Secretary and equality minister by pursuing my personal priorities: empowering more women and girls with the opportunity offered by quality education and employment, and ending the violence they suffer.

These global challenges require global action. Under the UKs G7 Presidency, I brought together leading experts onto our independent Gender Equality Advisory Council ranging from the Covid vaccine pioneer Dame Sarah Gilbert to the Nobel Prize winning gynaecologist Dr Denis Mukwege.

They issued a call to arms for world leaders, urging action to tackle major issues including violence against women and girls. This is a global scourge, with one in three women around the world set to suffer physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.

We cannot allow Covid to disrupt our global fight for fairness. Millions more girls are now estimated to be at risk of extremely harmful practices like female genital mutilation and child marriage.

At this critical time, it is vital we double down in this mission. That is why I have decided to restore the women and girls development budget to what it was before the Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) cut, which will reinvigorate our vital work making the world a better place. This is only the beginning. We are on track to restore ODA to 0.7 per cent of gross national income in 2024-2025, in line with our responsible fiscal principles.

Today, I am glad to announce we are going further by pledging 22.4 million to stop violence against women and girls globally as well as tackling appalling practices like child marriage. We will also be hosting a global summit next year to mark the tenth anniversary of the launch of our Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative.

Sexual violence is a devastating and inhumane weapon: shattering lives, tearing apart families and scarring communities. It is grotesque and appalling that sexual violence is used as a weapon of war and to exercise power over women. It can be as destructive in conflict as chemical weapons or landmines, which are both banned by international conventions, but it is yet to be treated as seriously.

Justice and accountability must be the norm for such grave crimes, rather than the exception. That is why I welcome the Gender Equality Advisory Councils call, inspired by Dr Mukwege, that the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war be condemned as a red line that must not be crossed.

It is time to put an end to the culture of impunity and indifference which pervades acts of sexual violence in conflict. Troubling reports from parts of the world like Afghanistan and the Tigray region of Ethiopia underline the urgent need for action.

I am determined that the UK should rise to meet the moment by building a consensus, which already comprises some of our closest partners like Australia and New Zealand, to condemn sexual violence as a red line. All options are on the table, including an international convention, in our shared determination to end such heinous acts once and for all.

The UK is well placed to lead this network of liberty by example, with our flagship What Works to Prevent Violence Programme helping reduce violence by as much as half in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo. We are now building this ground-breaking success by using our tried and tested methods to drive down rates of violence on a global scale.

Fundamentally, our new foreign and development policy is about freedom. The freedom for men and women alike to live and thrive around the world, empowered by education and enterprise. The freedom to be who you want to be and realise your dreams, free from fear. And the empowerment that comes with control over decisions about sex and childbearing. We are also hard-headed in standing up for those whose freedoms are under threat, especially women and girls, from malign actors and abhorrent acts of violence.

The freer people are, the happier, safer and wealthier they will be. That is why the UK is stepping up to help the most vulnerable by tackling violence against women and girls. Together with our friends and partners, we can deliver the fundamental change which will help secure a brighter, freer and fairer future for women across the world.

Liz Truss is Foreign Secretary and Minister for Women and Equality

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Liz Truss: I want to ensure no country can ever again use sexual violence as a weapon of war - iNews