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35 Suffolk Transnat'l L. Rev. 153 (2012)
Fails So Good: An Examination of the United Nations' Ineffective Implementation of Resolution 1820 in Democratic Republic of Congo

handle is hein.journals/sujtnlr35 and id is 155 raw text is: FAILS SO GOOD: AN EXAMINATION OF
THE UNITED NATIONS' INEFFECTIVE
IMPLEMENTATION OF RESOLUTION
1820 IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
OF CONGO
I. INTRODUCTION
No other human rights violation has been ignored and left
unresolved as much as sexual violence against women.' The
United Nations deferred formal recognition of rape as a war
crime until 2008, when it passed S.C. Res. 1820 (Resolution
1820).2 Efforts to end sexual violence in the Democratic Repub-
lic of the Congo (DRC) failed despite a detailed U.N. strategy
to end atrocities.3 On July 30, 2010, two rebel militias invaded
the eastern region of the DRC.4 Militia members victimized
1. See generally Margot Wallstrdm, Ending Sexual Violence: Translating
Promises into Practice, PEACEWOMEN ENEWS, Aug. 9, 2010, http://www.peacewomen.
orglassets/file/Resources/NGO/vaw-augustenews-wallstrom_2010.pdf (discussing cre-
ation of S.C. Res. 1820 and its impact).
2. See S.C. Res. 1820, U.N. Doc. S/RES/1820 (June 19, 2008) [hereinafter Reso-
lution 1820] (setting forth components of Resolution 1820); see also Marianne
Mollmann, Introductory Note to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1820:
Women, Peace, and Security, 47 I.L.M. 824, 824 (2008) (indicating discussions and
events leading to Resolution 1820's implementation).
3. OFFICE OF THE SENIOR ADVISER AND COORDINATOR FOR SEXUAL Vio-
LENCE, COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY ON COMBATING SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN DRC: Ex-
ECUTIVE SUMMARY (2009), available at http://monusco.unmissions.org/Portals/
MONUC/ACTIVITIES/Sexual%2OViolence/KeyDocuments/Comprehensive%20
Strategy %20Executive %20Summary.pdf [hereinafter COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY]
(detailing Resolution 1820 implementation in DRC). The office of the Senior Advi-
sor and Coordinator for Sexual Violence has developed a strategy to combat sexual
violence in the DRC. Id. The strategy consists of four components, and includes
consultation with the Congolese government. Id.; see also Janene Sawers, Sexual Vio-
lence in Conflict: One Year after U.N. Resolution 1820, U.S. INST. OF PEACE (2009),
http://www.usip.org/events/sexual-violence-in-conflict-one-year-after-un-resolution-
1820 [hereinafter Sexual Violence in Conflict] (summarizing challenges of accurately
enforcing Resolution 1820); David Smith, U.N. Has Failed Congo Mass Rape Victims,
Says Investigator, GUARDIAN, Sept. 8, 2010, at 18 (describing recent events of vio-
lence); DRC: U.N. Peacekeepers Failed DR Congo Rape Victims, PEACEWOMEN
ENEWS, Sept. 7, 2010, http://www.peacewomen.org/news-article.php?id=1815&type=
news (discussing failure of U.N. peacekeepers to prevent brutal violence against
civilians).
4. See The U.N. Mission in DR Congo, REUTERS AFRICA, Sept. 24, 2010, availa-
ble at http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFLDE67U1LN20100924 (de-
tailing failure of U.N. peacekeepers in DRC). The MONUSCO mission failed to
properly train peacekeepers, who reported a lack of awareness of mass rapes until a

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