Zimbabwe:
Prosecuting Rape as a Crime Against Humanity

For the past 12 years, AIDS-Free World has supported legal efforts to bring about justice for victims of politically motivated rape in Zimbabwe and end impunity for the organizers and perpetrators of this scourge. We aim to expose the systematic use of rape and terror, raise the alarm about the prevalence and ongoing nature of this violence, and utilize every means at our disposal to stop it.
We are working to use—for the first time ever—the mechanism of universal jurisdiction to prosecute systematic rape as a crime against humanity. Our intention is to send a clear message: the world will no longer tolerate the strategic use of rape for political ends.

Our advocacy is propelled by the knowledge that sexual violence is not only a grievous violation and grave social ill, but it is also an “underlying factor” that is directly responsible for the transmission of HIV.
Working alongside victims, AIDS-Free World intends to show that even in a world where one government is permitted to commit rape at the level of a crime against humanity achieving justice is still possible. Until then, the goal of ending AIDS will remain unattainable.
Out of concern for the victims’ safety, we are currently unable to provide further details. For an in-depth look at the legacy of politically motivated rape in Zimbabwe, read our report Electing to Rape.