Biden reinforces U.S. policy on sex violence

President Biden is strengthening U.S. policy aimed at stemming sexual violence in war conflict zones, elevating the problem to the level of a human rights abuse that triggers sanctions and other actions against foreign perpetrators.

Biden on Monday signed a presidential memorandum that seeks to combat the use of rape by both foreign governments and individuals as a weapon of war. The memorandum directs for the first time that the State and Treasury departments and other agencies give equal consideration of acts of sexual violence to other serious human rights abuses in leveraging sanctions and other punishment against foreign actors.