U.N. Court to Try Cases of Sexual Slavery
A U.N.-backed court in Sierra Leone will prosecute “forced marriage” as a crime against humanity, officials said. A Freetown court approved a motion by prosecutors to add the new count to indictments against six defendants, spokesman Peter Andersen said.
During a decade of wars in Sierra Leone that ended in 2002, it was common for women and girls to be forced into becoming combatants’ sexual partners. They were referred to as “bush wives,” he said.
“Their families don’t want them back,” Andersen said. “It leaves scars on women that will be with them all their lives.”
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