NPR’s evening show All Things Considered aired a piece this evening discussing the use of rape as a weapon of terror and intimidation during warfare in several recent global hotspots.  As many readers of this blog know, this is not a recent phenomenon – anyone recall the Rape of the Sabine Women?  Despite the fact that a more literal translation from antiquity might be abduction of the Sabine women, you get the idea.

This issue has been receiving more public attention than ever before, and rightly so.  Another example, besides the NPR piece is the fact that a good friend is doing her PhD dissertation on the use of rape in the various Balkan conflicts in the 1990s.  But all of this leads to the question – how do we address the problem?  One answer, according to Secretary of State Clinton, is to have more women as UN mediators and peacekeepers.  Of course, this is easier said than done, but if you’re a woman interested in international dispute resolution, opportunity is knocking.

To read and hear the NPR piece, go here.