Washington, DC – Last week, Representatives Lois Frankel (D-FL-22) and Jen Kiggans (R-VA-6), Co-Chairs of the bipartisan Women, Peace, and Security Caucus, hosted a kickoff panel discussion on conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). Members of Congress and experts discussed the widespread, historic use of rape and sexual violence as weapons of war, and the current conditions of women in conflict in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Israel, and elsewhere. Panelists provided policy recommendations for how the U.S. Government, Congress, and international partners can best implement the Women, Peace, and Security agenda to include women’s voices in peace and security decision-making and efforts to counter CRSV. Reps. Meng (D-NY-6), Dingell (D-MI-6), Tokuda (D-HI-2), Manning (D-NC-6), and Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37) were also in attendance. Last week, the House voted unanimously to adopt Rep. Frankel’s resolution, which was co-led by Rep. Kiggans, to condemn all rape and forms of sexual violence as weapons of war, including those acts committed by Hamas terrorists in Israel on and since October 7^th. 

“Conflict-related sexual violence has been happening around the world for a long time, and for far too long it’s been met with a shrug,” said Rep. Frankel. “It is not normal and should never be accepted as normal. The women on our panel highlighted how we can work to address conflict-related seual violence, and emphasized the need for women being at the table when decisions in peace and security are made.”

The WPS Caucus was established in 2020 to ensure that the goals set by the WPS Act of 2017 are upheld as U.S. national security and foreign policy priorities. This includes promotion of active, meaningful roles for women in all aspects of their societies and communities, including security forces and decision-making processes, which has proven to advance democracy and long-term stability worldwide. Participants in the event included Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta, Ambassador at Large for the Department of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, WaiWai Nu, Founder and Executive Director of the Women’s Peace Network, Myanmar, Naheed Farid, Global advisor for the National Republican Institute and former Afghan parliamentarian, Emily Prey, Director of New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy’s Gender Policy Portfolio, Kyleanne Hunter, Senior Political Scientist for the RAND Corporation, and Laura Adkins, Communications Director for Jewish Women’s International.

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