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United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed outgoing European Commission vice president Margot Wallstrom as his special representative for fighting sexual violence against women and children in conflict. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced the selection of Margot Wallstrom for the special representative post during his opening speech at the African Union's 14th summit in Addis Ababa. Among the items topping the agenda are armed conflicts in Somalia, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the brutal rape of women and children has become disturbingly common. Wallstrom reacted to the nomination on Sunday saying she would lobby for sexual violence in war to be recognised as a war crime, attacking what she said was a tendency to explain the abuse of women as "cultural."
"Sexual violence is a war crime"
"I say this is not cultural, it is criminal. It is a crime under international law and it is also a war crime," she said.
Wallstrom spent the last ten years of her career in Brussels, most recently as vice president of the European Commission. Since 2004, she served as the commission's vice president in charge of Institutional Relations and Communications. Wallstrom pushed for more women to serve on the European Commission.
During her tenure in Swedish politics, she served as a minister responsible for consumer affairs, women and youth from 1988-1991.
Ban said Wallstrom would be responsible for intensifying the UN's efforts to end sexual violence used as a weapon against civilian populations.
"I am horrified and outraged by the use of rape as a weapon of war," Ban said.
Ban announced last November that the UN would renew a $10.5 million (7.5 million euros) campaign to oppose violence against women.
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