Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and I’ve just delivered a short speech at an event organised by the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission to mark the publication of their report on sexual violence as a weapon of war.
This is never the easiest of subjects for people to speak about but I strongly believe that it is our duty to champion the rights of oppressed people worldwide. I was joined on stage by a remarkable and courageous man named Ahmed Dilli Osman, who is using his own personal experience of the conflict in Darfur to raise awareness of this horrific crime where women’s bodies are used as the battlefield and the most devastating physical, physiological and social scars are left behind.
I very much hope that the report launched today will be widely disseminated and read: I, for one, will be studying its recommendations very closely.
