Sexual violence in the context of armed conflicts and wars is not an inevitable consequence, but a deliberately deployed weapon and systematic strategy for the humiliation, destabilization, and long-term destruction of societies. Whether perpetrated by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, by Russian soldiers in the war against Ukraine, in Sudan, the Congo, the former Yugoslavia, or during World War II and the occupation – the boundless brutality invariably targets not only women and children, but also their husbands and fathers. Sexual violence as a weapon of war is therefore an issue that concerns us all – women and men alike. The fight against the use of this inhumane weapon is thus the responsibility of the entire civilized world. I thank
@elnet_global – the European Leadership Network – for hosting the 2nd Annual Coalition Summit of the Global Women’s Coalition Against Gender-Based Violence as a Weapon of War from November 9–11, 2025, in Paris. Experts from politics, the judiciary, media, and civil society worldwide met for two days in the French Senate to discuss successes and setbacks, strategies and challenges in the fight against the denial and impunity of sexualized violence in war. Following a moving opening address by Israel’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister,
@sharrenhaskel , I participated in a subsequent roundtable discussion with
@shellytalmeron , Member of the Knesset and Chair of the Caucus for Female Victims of Sexual and Gender Violence in the Sword of Iron War, and Senator Viviane Teitelbaum, European Chair of the International Council of Women. The discussion, moderated by
@yossiabravanel , Deputy Director of ELNET Israel, focused on the need for increased international cooperation and Germany’s experience in prosecuting these war crimes.
@elnet_d @elnet_global @dinahproject @gruppe_der_frauen @frauenunion_cdu @cdu