International court works to bring Darfur rapists to trial

When Amnesty International observers visited Darfur in 2004, they were appalled by the sheer number of rape victims they encountered.

Many were gang raped in front of their families as the conquering Janjaweed militia burned down their homes.

Hundreds of rape cases, including against girls as young as 7 or 9, were documented by human rights workers at the height of the ethnic cleansing in Darfur in 2004.

There are those who would argue that to allow the victims of such organised mass rape to give birth is arguably tantamount to complicity in genocide. Because the most horrible conclusion of rape as a weapon of war is that it can change the ethnic makeup of a country. In the case of Darfur, it could mean the steady Arabisation of the next generation.

In 2005, about 100 countries took a landmark decision by agreeing that rape should be included among the crimes against humanity that could be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court as they established the tribunal. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>