Monday 2 March 2009

Sierra Leone: Landmark forced marriage ruling

Link: Sierra Leone Court Convicted Three Former Leaders of the RUF Issuing Pioneering War Crimes Ruling [Somali Press]

This is an excellent result and a step up from existing developments in the prosecuting of rape as an act of genocide and sexual slavery.

"Our position is that sexual slavery is a horrendous crime," lead prosecutor Stephen Rapp told journalists after the verdicts. "Victims would be held for days or weeks and forced into sex acts. Forced marriage is all of that plus essentially being consorts to the rebels."

The result, he said, is stigma, with the women seen as responsible for the crimes of their "husbands" - Somali Press

Somali Press is an excellent current affairs blog on Africa and well worth adding to your reading list.

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