· All incidents of rape and sexual assault by soldiers or other state agents should be fully and fairly investigated and, where appropriate, prosecuted and punished.
· Military and civilian authorities should publicly condemn the use of rape by any and all parties to conflicts, whether international or internal, and emphasize their intent to investigate and punish those responsible for such abuse.
· Explicit bans on rape should be included in all training for enlisted men and officers to make clear that rape and sexual assault will not be tolerated and are in no way unofficially condoned by the state.
· To ensure the equitable prosecution of rape, governments should review domestic rape laws and their application and undertake reforms to ensure women's equal protection under law. Specifically, we urgegovernments (1) to classify in their legal codes rape as a crime against women's physical integrity and not as an offense against individual or community honor; (2) to ensure that discriminatory attitudes about female rape victims neither prevent serious investigation of rape nor undermine rape's equitable prosecution; and (3) to ensure that medical and legal services provided by the state for the purpose of investigating rape are available to all women when and where they are needed.
· Governments should exercise jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute alleged instances of torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, including rape, that occur on their soil or that are committed by individuals residing in their territory.
· Governments should support the efforts of international tribunals, such as that established by the U.N. for former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, to investigate reported war crimes, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, and crimes against humanity, including rape and other forms of sexual assault. Governments should further make those indicted for such offenses available to stand trial.
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