We, First Ladies, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Spouses of Heads of Delegation at the Elysée Summit for Peace and Security in Africa gathered in Paris on the occasion of ” Africa Peace and Security Summit » on December 6th, 2013, denounced the intolerable persistence of sexual violence in conflicts and refuse they are considered inevitable or acceptable consequences of wars.

These sexual assaults are defined by the International Criminal Court as war crimes, crimes against humanity or as a component of genocide. They should not in any case remain unpunished.