Hillary Clinton does not mince her words

Violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent, country, and culture. It takes a devastating toll on women’s lives, on their families, and on society as a whole. Most societies prohibit such violence –yet the reality is that too often, it is covered up or tacitly condoned – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

By Satheesan Kumaaran

(October 09, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The U.S. Secretary of State and the former First Lady, while chairing the UN Security Council meeting on September 30, 2009, the last day of the U.S.’s turn for rotating the presidency of the 15-member body on violence against women in warfare, came out strongly against the perpetrators of violence against women, especially rape, by States such as Bosnia, Burma, Congo, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Sudan.

Mrs. Hillary Clinton said: “Now, reading the headlines, one might think that the use of rape as a tactic of war only happens occasionally, or in a few places, like the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Sudan. That would be bad enough, but the reality is much worse. We’ve seen rape used as a tactic of war before in Bosnia, Burma, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere. In too many countries and in too many cases, the perpetrators of this violence are not punished, and so this impunity encourages further attacks.”

She said: “Sexual violence is an important issue that goes to the core of our commitment to ensure the safety of the United Nations member-states and their citizens.

Under the UN Charter, the 15 members of this Council bear primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Now, satisfying that responsibility includes us to protect the lives and physical security of all people, including the women who comprise half the planet's population. This responsibility is particularly acute in circumstances where peace and stability are challenged...Rape shreds the fabric that weaves us together as human beings.”

Just by speaking on the destiny of women who face such horrendous violence which contributes to the deterioration of their families in particular and their communities in general is definitely a great danger as Hillary is also a woman and who will, indeed, be seen as an iron lady of our time by many, much like Indira Gandhi in India, Margaret Thatcher in Britain, Golda Meir in Israel, and Eugenia Charles in Dominica.

Rape: Weapon of war

Violence against women, especially rape, has added its own brand of shame to wars. No matter where the war is raging, girls and women have been singled out for rape, imprisonment, torture, and execution. Rape, identified by psychologists as the most intrusive of traumatic events, has been documented in many armed conflicts including those in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cyprus, Haiti, Liberia, Somalia, and Uganda.

Systematic rape is often used as a weapon in genocidal war, which in other words, creates psychological fear giving in particular to entire ethnic, religious, or any other groups who wish to live in peace in their homeland with all the rights and privileges enjoyed by the majority community.

The question arises whether rape should be considered as a matter for the United Nations? The Security Councils in 2008 and 2009 have answered that question with a resounding yes by voting unanimously for a resolution describing rape as a tactic of war and a threat to international security.

In the resolution, passed on 19 June 2008, the Security Council noted that “women and girls are particularly targeted by the use of sexual violence, including as a tactic of war to humiliate, dominate, instil fear in, disperse and/or forcibly relocate civilian members of a community or ethnic group.” The resolution demanded the “immediate and complete cessation by all parties to armed conflict of all acts of sexual violence against civilians.”

Commenting on the unanimous adoption of a Resolution to Combat Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict by the UN Security Council, President Obama noted that “[i]n particular, the resolution focuses on one of the most abhorrent features of modern war: the use of rape as a weapon, and other forms of sexual violence against women and children.”

The Resolution also comes out with the same mandates of 2008 but this year, however, is unique because the United State’s Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chairs the meeting. In her address, she added Sri Lanka as the predator of women and that Sri Lanka failed to bring the perpetrators of the violence to book so far since the country began a civil war with the Tamils and indeed the Sri Lankan State armed forces killed hundreds of women and younger age girls for complaining of their sexual abuse by the Sri Lankan soldiers. Many women were massacred after rape and other forms of violence in front of their male relatives and their bodies were dumped in either graveyards or pits. One classic example is the case of Krishanthi Kumarasamy, a 17-year old female who was murdered in September 1996 after being stopped and raped at a Sri Lankan army sentry point at Kaithadi in Jaffna peninsula of northern Sri Lanka.

Many other women and young girls were raped and killed by the Sri Lankan armed forces. However, due to fear and intimidation by the Sri Lankan armed forces that they will be killed if they make complaints anywhere, they feared to speak out. However, events, such as the Chemmani mass graveyard, show that the Sri Lankan armed forces were conducting such brutal acts in the past. Over 700 women and others were killed after rape and other violence and the bodies planted in the graveyards in Chemmani. However, after severe protest by international human rights agencies, Sri Lanka investigated and the perpetrators were sentenced, but in truth the perpetrators have been released and promoted to higher ranks in the military.

Sri Lanka condemns the U.S.

In response to Hillary Clinton’s statement, the Sri Lankan government has come out strongly condemning the U.S saying such allegations are far from the existing realities: far from the truth, and added that there was no basis whatsoever even to suggest Sri Lankan forces had been involved in such gross violence during its three-year humanitarian campaign. Sri Lanka’s defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said that the government vehemently condemns the statement and wishes to declare that it is an irresponsible statement made deliberately to tarnish the image of Sri Lanka and also it appears to be a part of a vicious political agenda. He said this was the first time Sri Lanka has ever been accused of using rape as a war tactic by anybody.

The Sri Lanka Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged a formal protest on October 1 against the statement with the United States embassy in Colombo. In response, the U.S.

Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Patricia Butenis, said in a statement, that the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had not implicated any party in Sri Lanka in her speech at the UN Security Council when she made a reference to Sri Lanka.

Butenis said: “During the 26-year long war in Sri Lanka, there were allegations of rape and sexual violence, just as in other conflicts. Secretary Clinton’s statement was to raise awareness of such brutality, not to implicate specific perpetrators.”

The Secretary to the Human Rights Ministry Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha said: “The government would like the U.S. to reveal any specific allegations against the Sri Lankan military...questioning the rationale on which the allegation was levelled against Sri Lanka...Maybe she is confused with the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan...a section of the international community is working overtime to discredit Sri Lanka.”

The National Freedom Front leader Wimal Weerawansa attacked the statement as telling as to who supported the LTTE terrorists for three decades. He said Clinton’s statement was utter fiction and irresponsible.

Another political party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), held a demonstration in Colombo that marched from the Vihara Maha Devi Park to the U.S. Embassy on Galle Road, Kollupitiya. The demonstrators accused Clinton of attempting to destroy the image of the country by mudslinging.

Also, two other pro-government writers condemned the U.S. government. Under the caption, “Rape – Hillary said!” Mr. Gomin Dayasri wrote: “Fury of a woman knows no bounds. Worse, when she is powerful and arrogant but yet failed to achieve her goals. Such is Hilary Clinton. The mighty Secretary of State failed to tame Sri Lanka. The failed Presidential aspirant, knowingly or unknowingly, received terrorist funding for her election campaign and was compelled to return the cash to comply with the law.

Notwithstanding her strenuous efforts she could not save the lives of the terrorists, to whom she is obliged. Therein lays the story...Where is the proof with credible evidence? Was there a single complaint lodged against the Forces of having raped a woman during the period of conflict? Where are the complainants- where are the victims? There is not a scintilla of evidence against any other than in the fertile imaginary mind of Hillary Clinton and the Diaspora. When a charge of rape was presented as in the Krishanthi Kumarasamy’s case indictments were filed in court and after trial the accused were sentenced. In the USA only 6% of those accused of rape even spend a single night in a lock up. Such is Justice in the USA.”

Another columnist, Dr. Stephen Long, who claims to be a resident of Los Angeles, California, wrote under the heading “Hillary Clinton lives in the biggest glass house of all” wrote, “I was shocked, when I learned of Hillary Clinton’s statement of rape being used as a weapon in Sri Lanka’s war against the LTTE terrorists. For many reasons, I simply cannot believe this is true...Shame on you, Mrs. Clinton! You live in the biggest “glass house” of them all, and you should be the last one to be throwing stones at Sri Lanka. The US has become notorious for proven human rights abuses, including torture and sexual abuse, in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo. Only recently, a soldier was convicted of raping an innocent girl in Japan, and who could forget the scandal at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado? How can you be such a hypocrite? Wake up, Mrs. Clinton! Screen your information bearers more carefully.

Don’t pick up that stone – even though it is very tempting – because you live in a giant glass house that’s visible from the far corners of the earth. People will start throwing stones back at you, and one day your ignorance and bias will be exposed...I was privy to a conversation last night with Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona, who said that, in 30 years there had never been one incident – or even an accusation – of rape against female LTTE cadres. The LTTE accused the GOSL of many crimes and injustices, but never rape...The Sri Lankan Military Forces are legendary with regard to their strict discipline, and more recently, it has become known for its compassion. I’ll never forget being in Sri Lanka during the last days of the war against the LTTE, when the floodgates were opened and 95,000 human shields crossed into the arms of waiting soldiers, in a single day. The gratitude toward the soldiers was real; they were treated as saviours. Never did any of the refugees – to this day – accuse anyone in the military of rape.”

Sri Lanka hides a whole pumpkin in a plate of rice

The old saying is that one cannot hide a whole pumpkin in a plate of rice. However, Sri Lankan government leaders, Sri Lankan extremist politicians and writers are classic examples in the turn of the century as the best to represent the wise words of this old saying.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said in response to the discipline of his armed forces and commenting on the Sri Lankan armed forces and their peace keeping missions abroad, that, “I respect them profoundly and consider them as the most disciplined forces in the world. They have not killed or raped anybody.”

Malevolent comments intoxicated with venom, vengeance, and hatred against other communities come from the ultra extreme eccentrics of the Sinhala community as well as government leaders who should act and speak responsibly. They cannot consider issues objectively nor contribute positively to the development of a healthy society. They have disallowed freedom of expression and other values, which are fundamental principles of democracy, against Tamils and now they turn their guns towards the Diaspora Tamils and the international community. As such, when Hillary Clinton comes out strongly against the perpetrators of violence against women, she never pointed out one single country, but collectively she was pointing at the States that have track records of human rights abuses and violence against women. But, for the Sri Lankan leaders to come out strongly against the U.S. allegations saying that Sri Lanka never committed such crimes is really a joke.

Another classic example as how Sri Lanka is hiding the truth is Rajapaksa’s statement that his soldiers never raped or killed anyone abroad during peacekeeping operations. In the latest sex scandal to tarnish the UN, at least 114 Sri Lankan troops have been expelled from the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti for sexual exploitation of Haitian women and girls.

There have been numerous complaints against the Sri Lankan soldiers despite death threats to the victims. Some of which are: In 2001, the year before a ceasefire ended the fighting, Amnesty International said it “has noted a marked rise in allegations of rape by [Sri Lankan] police, army and navy personnel...Among the victims of rape by the security forces are many internally displaced women, women who admit being or having been members of the LTTE and female relatives of members or suspected male members of the LTTE...Reports of rape in custody concern children as young as 14...To [our] knowledge, not a single member of the Sri Lankan security forces has been brought to trial in connection to incidents of rape in custody although one successful prosecution has been brought in a case where the victim of rape was also murdered.”

Earlier, in March 2000, the then United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Radhika Coomaraswamy, expressed her “grave concern” over the lack of serious investigation into allegations of gang rape and murder of women and girls by the Sri Lankan security forces. In 2000, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) protested that “Sri Lankan security forces are using systematic rape and murder of Tamil women to subjugate the Tamil population... Impunity continues to reign as rape is used as a weapon of war in Sri Lanka.”

In a statement to the UN in 1998, the World Organisation against Torture said: “Sri Lankan soldiers have raped both women and young girls on a massive scale, and often with impunity, since reporting often leads to reprisals against the victims and their families.”

There are thousands of reported convictions available and they are recorded in the human rights organizations. Despite heavy pressure from these organizations to investigate, the Sri Lankan successive governments promised that they would launch investigations, but later on the cases were closed without any inquiry. And on several occasions, even when the investigations ruled to punish the perpetrators, the criminals were later released by the State and given higher ranks in the military. And Sri Lanka is popular in appointing military commanders as diplomats abroad who have track records of human rights abuses. So, in other words, the Sri Lankan State is encouraging those who act against humanity and encourage the perpetrators of violence against women. They easily use women and girls as weapon of war, in order to threaten the Tamils.

It’s high time for the global community to recognise the aggressive actions and words of the Sri Lankan government leaders, ultra Sinhala extremists and writers who spread hatred and disharmony among communities. Even a powerful global power like the U.S has been criticized and taken heavy condemnation by the Sri Lankan State which has been unleashing violence against humanity and in particular women. Hence, the statements by Mrs. Hillary Clinton show that she is one of the strongest world figures of our time who does not mince her words.

The million dollar question is: Will the resolutions give teeth to efforts to stem sexual violence against women in conflict situations?

(The author can be reached at e-mail: satheesan_kumaaran@yahoo.com)

-Sri Lanka Guardian