Kerry's speech that speaks of how leaders who use rape as a tool in war can't get a US Visa

[karynnj]

He is at a conference in London that FM Hague set up. His speech is interesting in pushing other countries to enact the same rule -

This is from the State Department web site -http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2014/06/227290.htm

[div class ="excerpt"]


As my country’s top diplomat, ending this cycle of violence is a critical mission. The first step is to begin treating sexual violence in armed conflict as a major international crime. It is not and cannot be seen as an inevitable consequence of conflict. Nor is it a simple infraction of a country’s penal code.

The next step in this overdue process will be persuading every government to deny safe haven to those who commit these vile acts. That should be a key legacy of the London conference.

The February change in U.S. visa policy affirmed that sexual violence can be a war crime: It is often organised and systematic, not an unavoidable by-product of war. According to our updated guidance, even those occupying the highest echelons of military or government who ordered, engaged in, or looked the other way when their subordinates committed acts of sexual violence will not be welcome in the United States.

I challenge other countries to do the same. Pass legislation that excludes these perpetrators from entering your countries. Participate in this global campaign of accountability and containment. Protect your citizens and send a strong message to offenders that they are unwelcome and that impunity ends at your borders. We must communicate a unified stance with a single, loud voice: There is no place in the civilized world for those who commit acts of sexual violence. We must declare in unison: “They can’t run and they won’t hide here.”


It was very hard to pick just 4 paragraphs - it is worth reading the rest, but these are the "action" he ended with. Note that the US has already changed its VISA policy

I assume that the UK, which hosted this, may be doing the same thing - I'm looking for some article saying so. This is not it, but it is a good article on the conference - http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/article/2014/02/20140226294149.html#axzz34ABvO8nF

[mylye2222]

1. Wonderfull

Unfortunely I doubt France will do the same. A huge lot of those perpetrators are from African countries even if not all. And France has too much interest in Africa.