Somali activist Ilwad Elman has urged the UN to reinforce their zero tolerance policy on rape in conflict, stressing that it has to hold all perpetrator accountable - including UN peacekeepers and security forces. With current developments around the Islamic State and Boko Haram, brutality against civilans is on the rise. Women and girls constitute the majority of the victims and are disproportionately targeted by sexual violence. Elman has been running a rape crisis center in Somalia since 2011, where 70% of rapes perpetrated are carried out by men in military uniforms. She appeared in front of the Security Council to stress that the UN needs to increase their efforts to prevent and persecute rape and sexual violence, crucially including their own staff.
For more information, see www.nzherald.nz.co. For more about Ilwad Elman and her work, see www.cnn.com