A global summit is currently being held in London on the problem of sexual violence in warfare. The summit, entitled “The Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict,” is sponsored by the government of the United Kingdom.

“For a long time, wartime rape was treated with a shrug. But now, the U.N. has begun to document the problem, to understand just how widespread it is,” according to a report by NPR. “Last year, many countries signed on to a commitment to end sexual violence in conflict. And groups like Physicians for Human Rights are training local doctors in war zones how to take evidence of sexual violence for later use in trials.”

The UK government website has the summit program. NPR reports on the sexual violence summit online.

Researchers and students working on issues of gender and violence in history and society will be interested in this summit’s findings.