Kerry to close conference on ending sexual violence in war

LONDON: US Secretary of State John Kerry will on Friday address a London conference aimed at stamping out sexual violence in war, as victims described their harrowing ordeals.
The top US diplomat will speak at the closing session of the four-day long Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, which is being co-hosted by Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie and British Foreign Secretary William Hague. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon will also appear by video link.
Jolie and Hague earlier launched an international protocol aimed at ending the "culture of impunity" for sexual violence in wars, while testimony from victims emphasised its human cost.
Colombian journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima told AFP how she was attacked during a visit to a jail to report on weapon trafficking.
"The people there tortured me in all the ways you can imagine, they raped me and when I left I was the walking dead," she explained.
"For a woman it's always difficult to talk about having suffered this kind of physical violence, and once you come here and see so many people together that want to listen to us you have a strength that you didn't have before."
Lima predicted that the London summit would "lead to a great change."
"The strength comes from the heart and from the need for justice, not only for us, but for other women," explained the 26-year-old.
Former journalist and Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams spoke of the need for a reform of all societies "that keep women as second, third and fourth class citizens".
The international protocol, announced Wednesday, offers guidance for those on the frontline who document sexual violence.
It offers proposals on how best to recognise sexual violence as an international crime and how to investigate it.
Pitt visits summit
Jolie's partner Brad Pitt joined her on Thursday, posing for the press pack at the ExCeL exhibition centre before visiting an exhibition of paintings at the Summit Fringe, a series of 140 events featuring film, music, theatre and debate.
In an earlier speech, the actress explained: "We are here for the nine-year-old girl in Uganda, kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery.
"We are here for the man in Bosnia, years after rape, still stigmatised, unable to earn enough money to buy bread for his family.
"We are here for all the forgotten, hidden survivors who have been made to feel ashamed or been abandoned.
"And for the children of rape - we want the whole world to hear their stories and understand that this injustice cannot be tolerated, and that sorrow and compassion are not enough."
The summit, attended by representatives from over 100 countries, has also addressed the impact of sexual violence on men and boys.
Hague and Jolie have already visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bosnia to raise awareness of the issue.
The British politician said he was forced to act after seeing Jolie's 2011 film "In the Land of Blood and Honey" -- a love story told against the backdrop of the Bosnian war -- and praised her commitment.
"My admiration for her work has grown even greater over the last two years," he said.
"She has the power to speak to the whole world, to raise awareness, change attitudes.
"Governments like the one I am a member of hold in their hands levers of decision-making and action, and this combination can be formidable," he added. – AFP