Foreign Secretary discusses Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative
Foreign Secretary William Hague has talked about the UK's initiative to help tackle sexual violence in conflict in an interview with Cathy Newman on Channel 4 News on 1 December.
Cathy Newman, presenter: New efforts to deal with one of the most horrific consequences of that conflict 바카라 사이트� mass sexual violence against women. Britain is about to dispatch a team of doctors, detectives and other experts to the Syrian region to investigate allegations that rape is being used repeatedly and deliberately as a weapon of war.
The brutality in Syria has, according to the United Nations, reached 바카라 사이트渁ppalling heights바카라 사이트�. The opposition now fears the uprising has claimed more than 40,000 lives, but as well as the lives lost, there are many thousands of lives ruined too 바카라 사이트� not by bombs or bullets, but by another weapon of war: rape. After meeting his team of experts, the Foreign Secretary told this programme that within weeks the 바카라 사이트 will be taking the unprecedented step of deploying doctors, investigators, psychologists and lawyers to the Syrian region to gather evidence to bring the perpetrators of rape to justice, evidence likely to be gathered too in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Last week, the M23 rebels marched on the city of Goma. Both sides are accused of appalling abuses. Rape has become a fact of life here for 15 years now. This woman was raped in 2002 by the Hutu militia. A decade on, she still fears her attackers will return, so her identity has been concealed.
Unnamed woman, victim of military rape [translated]: I don바카라 사이트檛 know those people, and I don바카라 사이트檛 know where they are now, and I couldn바카라 사이트檛 follow up, because if I tried to investigate, those people would come back and they바카라 사이트檇 kill me.
Cathy Newman: It바카라 사이트檚 thought 12% of women in the Congo have been raped at least once, and the figures elsewhere in the world are just as shocking. Up to 50,000 women were raped during the Bosnian conflict in the 1990s; 64,000 women and girls were sexually assaulted in Sierra Leone between 1992 and 2002, and 400,000 were raped during the hundred-day genocide in Rwanda in 1994. Justice for the victims remains elusive, though 바카라 사이트� only 30 men have been convicted of rape committed during the Bosnian War, and a sense of outrage about that was what persuaded Angelina Jolie, the actress turned UN envoy, to make a film about the Bosnian rape camps, In The Land of Blood and Honey. The Foreign Secretary happened to see it, and says today it inspired him to launch a global campaign to tackle war zone rape, and forge an alliance with one of Hollywood바카라 사이트檚 biggest stars.
Well, William Hague and Angelina Jolie plan to join the experts gathering evidence in the field next year, and earlier I went to speak to both the Foreign Secretary and the Hollywood star at Mr Hague바카라 사이트檚 official country residence in Chevening in Kent. I began by asking the Foreign Secretary about the deployment to the Syrian region.
William Hague (Foreign Secretary): Well, one of the things we will be doing is deploying the team that we바카라 사이트檝e now assembled. We바카라 사이트檝e assembled a team of 70 doctors, lawyers, forensic experts, psychologists who can be deployed in the field; in the case of Syria, helping Syrian refugees 바카라 사이트� they바카라 사이트檙e going to be training local health professionals to gather the medical evidence, to get the forensic evidence and documentation that can be used in prosecutions in the future. So this is a practical example of what we can do, and we바카라 사이트檒l be having other deployments over the coming year.
Cathy Newman: Well, you바카라 사이트檝e been to many war zones. Do you think it바카라 사이트檚 realistic, in a war zone, in a war situation, to deploy a team in this way and actually gather evidence?
Angelina Jolie (Special Envoy, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees): Absolutely. I think it바카라 사이트檚바카라 사이트� I think it must be done. I think it바카라 사이트檚 a바카라 사이트� it바카라 사이트� you know, I work a lot with refugees, people who are internally displaced, people who have just fled from conflict. I was in the Syria conflict particularly recently, on four different borders, and you meet the people the moment they cross 바카라 사이트� and they immediately want to start talking. They want to know what바카라 사이트檚 happening to their future, they want to participate. They want to put on record what바카라 사이트檚 going on in the country; they want things not to be missed, and they want to know that one day, they바카라 사이트檒l be able to go home, and there will be accountability. And so it matters to them emotionally, and it matters to the future of their country on a legal level that they will be able to find some justice and impunity, move forward, and have their basic human rights protected.
Cathy Newman: Talking about where this is happening now, it바카라 사이트檚 really a, kind of, cruel coincidence of timing, isn바카라 사이트檛 it, that the trouble in the Congo has, sort of, flared up, at just the moment you바카라 사이트檙e really stepping up this campaign. Is there a sense, do you think, that the M23 rebels, when they marched on Goma, that the UN really stood by and failed in its duty to protect those civilians 바카라 사이트� some of whom were being raped?
Angelina Jolie: It바카라 사이트檚 a very, very complex situation, and I know in particular I reached out to UNHCR, and we talk often about 바카라 사이트� daily 바카라 사이트� on reports what바카라 사이트檚 happening, and I know that the team there on바카라 사이트� for UNHCR is extremely frustrated that they can바카라 사이트檛 access the people, they can바카라 사이트檛 get to the internally-displaced people because of바카라 사이트� because of the violence, until there바카라 사이트檚 a ceasefire, until there바카라 사이트檚 a바카라 사이트� they actually can바카라 사이트檛 reach them. That바카라 사이트檚 a particular part of the UN, that brings aid relief and is able to be present, and they can바카라 사이트檛 get there.
Cathy Newman: Is that your understanding? That it was the practicalities of the issue that meant that the troops weren바카라 사이트檛 there in sufficient numbers?
William Hague: Of course, the area we바카라 사이트檙e talking about, enormous, the numbers of troops very small, the support from neighbouring states 바카라 사이트� not there; so all of these problems are present there, and the leadership has to come from within the region to sort this out, but the pressure to do that and, if necessary, the resources to help to do that have to come from the rest of the world.
Cathy Newman: You바카라 사이트檝e been to many war zones 바카라 사이트� Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan; I바카라 사이트檝e missed many, I바카라 사이트檓 sure 바카라 사이트� what did you witness there on this particular issue, of rape in the war zone, that really, sort of, inspired you to back this campaign?
Angelina Jolie: For me, this campaign came about with바카라 사이트� we came together on a film I바카라 사이트檇 worked on that바카라 사이트�
Cathy Newman: The Land of Blood and Honey.
Angelina Jolie: 바카라 사이트he Land of Blood and Honey 바카라 사이트� which came from these years in the field where I바카라 사이트檇 continued to meet victims of sexual violence who바카라 사이트� you know, had just seen no justice, and had felt isolated and abused, and abuse upon abuse because they had felt ignored. But you start to바카라 사이트� I started to lean very much towards the law, and to understand that when people don바카라 사이트檛 know their rights and they don바카라 사이트檛 know they can fight for it and they don바카라 사이트檛 have바카라 사이트� any rape, any kind of sexual violence that would happen to anybody in this room, the perpetrator would be arrested, we would see justice. Millions and millions of people around the world don바카라 사이트檛 have that. It바카라 사이트檚 a shame, and it바카라 사이트檚 something that바카라 사이트� how dare we not do something? So it was helping to give them a voice, and trying to understand myself what more needs to be done to assist them.
William Hague: And this film is one of the inspirations behind the British 바카라 사이트바카라 사이트檚 campaign, you know 바카라 사이트� it바카라 사이트檚 so good, it바카라 사이트檚 so clear, it바카라 사이트檚 so horrifying. It brings to life the statistics. But I think what Angelina achieved with the film was really to bring that to life, to바카라 사이트� so that it바카라 사이트檚 not just something that바카라 사이트檚 out of mind and out of sight. It removes anybody바카라 사이트檚 excuse for not doing anything.
Angelina Jolie: And, I mean, there바카라 사이트檚 so much talk.
Cathy Newman: There바카라 사이트檚 a lot of bureaucracy.
Angelina Jolie: There바카라 사이트檚 a lot of bureaucracy, and there바카라 사이트檚 a lot of talking, and it just바카라 사이트� and when we first started to speak about this, and I learned about the initiative, it was바카라 사이트� it wasn바카라 사이트檛 about, you know, how we can go there together and talk; it was something very practical that had to be done 바카라 사이트� it was a바카라 사이트� 바카라 사이트榯here will be an absolute바카라 사이트�바카라 사이트� you know, 바카라 사이트榯here바카라 사이트檚 people on the ground, there are things being done, there will be results, it will move forward바카라 사이트�.
Cathy Newman: Some people might be a little bit cynical, seeing you sat there next to a major Hollywood star. What do you think Angelina Jolie brings to your campaign?
William Hague: Well, Angelina was instrumental in the campaign, because 바카라 사이트� as I mentioned a moment ago 바카라 사이트� her film about what happened in Bosnia was certainly, to me, one of the main motivating factors in getting this campaign going; but of course she바카라 사이트� Angelina brings her experience as an envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, having visited so many countries, and the ability to mobilise opinion and to attract attention to these things.
Cathy Newman: To get it talked about.
William Hague: And that바카라 사이트檚 one of the things that we have to do. This has been a subject that for too long has been not talked about 바카라 사이트� it바카라 사이트檚 taboo in some countries to talk about it. It바카라 사이트檚 not been the main focus of attention, even in countries like our own, in international affairs.
Cathy Newman: And when you hear people바카라 사이트檚 stories repeatedly over the years, as you have done 바카라 사이트� obviously their world is so far removed from, you know, the world that we all inhabit. Do you바카라 사이트� how do you empathise with what you바카라 사이트檙e hearing?
Angelina Jolie: How can we live in a world where people are abused in such fashions, where young, you know, girls and boys are being raped so violently?
Cathy Newman: Well, you nod at that 바카라 사이트� I mean, you바카라 사이트檙e famously, you know, unemotional.
Angelina Jolie: Are you famously unemotional? That바카라 사이트檚 so interesting.
William Hague: The Foreign Secretary has to be, yes.
Angelina Jolie: I as바카라 사이트� am I famously emotional and you바카라 사이트檙e famously unemotional?
William Hague: It바카라 사이트檚 quite a combination, isn바카라 사이트檛 it?
Cathy Newman: I wasn바카라 사이트檛 saying you바카라 사이트檙e famously emotional.
Angelina Jolie: That바카라 사이트檚바카라 사이트�
William Hague: It바카라 사이트檚 quite a combination.
Angelina Jolie: That바카라 사이트檚 why we바카라 사이트檙e a combination.
Cathy Newman: But, I mean, even you have been바카라 사이트� 바카라 사이트渆ven you바카라 사이트�, I say 바카라 사이트� OK. You바카라 사이트檝e been moved by what you바카라 사이트檝e heard.
William Hague: This is one of the worst things happening in the world today, and a world that has mounted campaigns against a slave trade, that is on the edge of agreeing an Arms Trade Treaty ought바카라 사이트� is a world which ought to be able to do something about this. So yes, even the unemotional Foreign Secretary feels very, very strongly about this.
Cathy Newman: Do you ever think that what you바카라 사이트檙e doing on a humanitarian basis is so much more, sort of, time-consuming and more rewarding, potentially, than what you do in your acting, and바카라 사이트�
Angelina Jolie: Oh, of course. Yeah.
Cathy Newman: All the time?
Angelina Jolie: Yeah. Yeah, of course. I mean, I wouldn바카라 사이트檛바카라 사이트�
Cathy Newman: Does that ever make you think you바카라 사이트檒l give up the acting and focus purely on the바카라 사이트�
Angelina Jolie: I think I바카라 사이트檓 going to have to give up the acting as the kids hit the teenage years anyway, because바카라 사이트� you know.
Cathy Newman: Too [unclear].
Angelina Jolie: There바카라 사이트檚 going to be too much to manage at home. But바카라 사이트�
Cathy Newman: That바카라 사이트檚 [unclear].
Angelina Jolie: You know, I바카라 사이트� you know, I바카라 사이트檝e enjoyed being an actress, and I바카라 사이트檓 so grateful for the job, and I바카라 사이트檝e had great experiences, and I바카라 사이트檝e even been able to tell stories and be a part of stories that mattered. And I바카라 사이트檝e also done really just things for fun and, you know, hopefully바카라 사이트� but바카라 사이트�
Cathy Newman: But you바카라 사이트檙e speaking in the past tense there, as if from now on바카라 사이트�
Angelina Jolie: I바카라 사이트檒l do some films, and I am so fortunate to have the job, you know. It바카라 사이트檚 a really바카라 사이트� it바카라 사이트檚 a very lucky profession to be a part of, and I enjoy it. But if it went away tomorrow, I바카라 사이트檇 be very happy to just be home with my children, and I would바카라 사이트� you know, I wake up in the morning as a mom, and I turn on the news like everybody else, and I see what바카라 사이트檚 happening in the world, and I want to be a part of the world in a positive way.