This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27769132

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Sexual violence in war: Summit to begin in London Sexual violence in war: Summit to begin in London
(about 1 hour later)
A four-day summit on sexual violence in war is to begin in London, hosted by UK Foreign Secretary William Hague and UN Special Envoy Angelina Jolie.A four-day summit on sexual violence in war is to begin in London, hosted by UK Foreign Secretary William Hague and UN Special Envoy Angelina Jolie.
The event, called the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, is the culmination of a two-year campaign to raise awareness of the issue. The event - the largest-ever of its kind - is the result of an intense two-year campaign to raise awareness.
Mr Hague is calling on the 140 nations present to write action against sexual violence into their military training. Mr Hague said rape was one of the "great mass crimes" of modern times.
Announcing the event in February, he said the issue "should shame all men". He has called on the 140 nations attending the summit to write action against sexual violence into their army training.
The meeting at the ExCel Centre in London is the largest conference ever on sexual violence in conflict zones. Representatives from governments and NGOs from around the world will join the conference at the ExCel Centre in London.
Representatives from foreign ministries, the military, law enforcement agencies and non-governmental organisations from across the world will be attending. BBC World Affairs Correspondent Paul Adams says organisers want the event to be the moment the world wakes up and declares that sexual violence is not an inevitable part of war.
BBC World Affairs Correspondent Paul Adams says organisers want the ambitious event to be the moment the world wakes up and declares that sexual violence is not an inevitable part of war. 'Arsenal of cruelty'
Nations taking part in the summit included Bosnia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia - countries where sexual violence had happened "on a vast scale", Mr Hague told the BBC ahead of the summit.
Sexually violence was systematically being used as a weapon of war in the 20th and 21st Centuries, he noted.
Mr Hague cited the estimated 50,000 women who were raped in Bosnia two decades ago, virtually none of whom have received justice.
"What we're trying to do this week is agree a new international protocol that sets standards for documenting and investigating these crimes, so that people know that in many cases justice will be done and these crimes can't be committed with impunity," he said on Tuesday morning.
In the two years since Mr Hague and Ms Jolie launched their campaign, a Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict has been endorsed by 141 countries.In the two years since Mr Hague and Ms Jolie launched their campaign, a Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict has been endorsed by 141 countries.
But the aim now is to take concrete steps, including improving the investigation and documentation of sexual violence and providing more help to survivors, our correspondent reports. But the aim now was to take concrete steps, including providing more help to survivors, Mr Hague said.
Earlier this year, Mr Hague said it was time for sexual violence to be removed "from the world's arsenal of cruelty". He added that the issue had been a "taboo" for too long, and that it was time to get rid of the "stigma and shame attached to it".
He said the issue was often ignored at the end of wars and cited the estimated 50,000 women who were raped in Bosnia two decades ago, virtually none of whom have received justice.
"We need to turn women's invisible presence in many countries around the world into a visible force in every society - with women represented in every peace process, in every government, in all walks of life," he added.