Hillary Clinton writes an exclusive Op-Ed for People.com and vows to 'Banish Sexual Violence'

Although Hillary is getting her much needed rest and relaxation down in Bermuda, she didn't leave without composing some thoughts of hers on what was probably the most dangerous and emotional visit in Africa, Goma. Goma is the war zone in the eastern Congo, where on her trip, she tearfully met and talked with rape victims.

She wrote an exclusive Op-Ed piece here for people.com, and shares what she learned on her visit — and what she will do about it.

What I Saw in Goma
By Hillary Rodham Clinton

In 11 days of travel across Africa, I saw humanity at its worst – and at its best. In Goma last week, I saw both.

The Mugunga Internally Displaced Persons Camp sits in a land of volcanoes and great lakes on the edge of Goma, a provincial capital in the eastern Congo. The camp is now home to 18,000 people seeking refuge from a cycle of violent conflict that has left 5.4 million dead since 1998. Chased from their homes and villages by armed rebels and informal militias, these men, women and children walked for miles with little food or water until they reached this relatively safe haven.

Now they live in tents, one next to the other, row after row, some clinging to life, others hanging on to whatever glimmer of hope remains in a region plagued by years of brutality. Many of these people have been robbed of their homes, possessions, families and, worst of all, their dignity.

Women and girls in particular have been victimized on an unimaginable scale, as sexual and gender-based violence has become a tactic of war and has reached epidemic proportions. Some 1,100 rapes are reported each month, with an average of 36 women and girls raped every day.

I visited a hospital run by the organization Heal Africa and met a woman who told me that she was eight months' pregnant when she was attacked. She was at home when a group of men broke in. They took her husband and two of their children and shot them in the front yard, before returning into the house to shoot her other two children. Then they beat and gang-raped her and left her for dead. But she wasn't dead. She fought for life and her neighbors managed to get her to the hospital – 85 kilometers away.

I came to Goma to send a clear message: The United States condemns these attacks and all those who commit them and abet them. They are crimes against humanity.

These acts don't just harm a single individual, or a single family, or village, or group. They shred the fabric that weaves us together as human beings. Such atrocities have no place in any society. This truly is humanity at its worst.

But there is reason to hope. We have seen survivors summon the courage to rebuild their lives and their communities. We have seen civic leaders and organizations come together to combat this appalling scourge. And we have seen health care workers sacrifice comfortable careers so they can treat the wounded.

In Goma, I met doctors and advocates who work every day to repair the broken bodies and spirits of women who have been raped, often by gangs, and often in such brutal fashion that they can no longer bear children, or walk or work. Caregivers like Lyn Lusi, who founded Heal Africa in Goma, and Dr. Denis Mukwege, who founded the Panzi hospital in Bukavu, represent humanity at its best.

The United States will stand with these brave people. This week I announced more than $17 million in new funding to prevent and respond to gender and sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We will provide medical care, counseling, economic assistance and legal support. We will dedicate nearly $3 million to recruit and train police officers to protect women and girls and to investigate sexual violence. We will send technology experts to help women and front-line workers report abuse using photographs and video and share information on treatment and legal options. And we will deploy a team of civilian experts, medical personnel and military engineers to assess how we can further assist survivors of sexual violence.

While I was in the DRC, I had very frank discussions about sexual violence with President Kabila. I stressed that the perpetrators of these crimes, no matter who they are, must be prosecuted and punished. This is particularly important when they are in positions of authority, including members of the Congolese military, who have been allowed to commit these crimes with impunity.

Our commitment to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence did not begin with my visit to Goma, and it will not end with my departure.

We are redoubling our efforts to address the fundamental cause of this violence: the fighting that goes on and on in the eastern Congo. We will be taking additional steps at the United Nations and in concert with other nations to bring an end to this conflict.

There is an old Congolese proverb that says, "No matter how long the night, the day is sure to come." The day must come when the women of the eastern Congo can walk freely again, to tend their fields, play with their children and collect firewood and water without fear. They live in a region of unrivaled natural beauty and rich resources. They are strong and resilient. They could, if given the opportunity, drive economic and social progress that would make their country both peaceful and prosperous.

Working together, we will banish sexual violence into the dark past, where it belongs, and help the Congolese people seize the opportunities of a new day.

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton joins Angelina Jolie for World Refugee Day

So the BREAKING NEWS is Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will join Angelina Jolie on Anderson Cooper for World Refugee Day on June 18th, 2009!

And also, in Washington D.C., a reception at the National Geographic Society will be held on Thursday, June 18th. The event will be hosted by Good Will Ambassador Angelina Jolie and among the guests will be US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

World refugee day is officially celebrated on June 20th and this year, events around the world focused on the fundamental need for protection. For some, this means economic security; for others, protection is freedom from violence and persecution.

If anyone else has more details on these events let ATHC know! Read entire post

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Hopes To Give Equal Benefits To Partners Of Gay And Lesbian Diplomats

This weekend it was announced that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will soon grant gay American diplomats equal benefits to those that heterosexuals enjoy.

In a notice sent to State Department employees, Clinton says regulations that denied same-sex couples and their families the same rights and privileges that straight diplomats enjoyed are "unfair and must end," as they harm U.S. diplomacy.

"Providing training, medical care and other benefits to domestic partners promote the cohesiveness, safety and effectiveness of our posts abroad," she says in the message, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.

"It will also help the department attract and retain personnel in a competitive environment where domestic partner benefits and allowances are increasingly the norm for world-class employers," she says.

"At bottom, the department will provide these benefits for both opposite-sex and same-sex domestic partners because it is the right thing to do," Clinton says.

Among the benefits that will now be granted gay diplomats: the right of domestic partners to hold diplomatic passports, government-paid travel for their partners and families to and from foreign posts, and the use of U.S. medical facilities abroad.

In addition, gay diplomats' families will now be eligible for U.S. government emergency evacuations and training courses at the Foreign Service Institute, the message says.

The plan has not yet been publicly approved by the State Department. Read entire post

Human Rights First founder appointed to State Department

On the brink of her much talked about trip to Israel, Clinton plans to add a prominent Jewish activist to head the State Department bureau overseeing human rights issues.

She will officially name Michael Posner, president of New York-based Human Rights First, as assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, according to State Department sources.

This appointment comes right when Hillary has been getting a lot of criticism for her trip to China and how she addressed the human rights issue there. Also, just after

The State Department's 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights, which was very well received by Michael Posner's own Human Rights First.

Human Rights First is unique among the major human rights watchdogs in that it targets governments for not doing enough to combat hate crimes. HRF works in Guatemala, Russia, Zimbabwe, Indonesia and many other countries. Here is a link to the Human Rights First website.

Well after reading about this appointment, I was curious because I had never really heard anything about an assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor before in the news. But as it turns out, there has always been this post. (maybe i just never paid attention, or maybe the previous administration didn't WANT to shed too much light on this nook of the State Department...)

Either way here is a small list of the past assistant secretarys of state for democracy, human rights and labor: John Shattuck - June 2, 1993 - November 13, 1998 - Bill Clinton Harold Hongju Koh- November 13, 1998 - January 20, 2001 -Bill Clinton Lorne Craner - June 4, 2001 - July 31, 2004 - George W. Bush Barry Lowenkron - Oct 14, 2005 - August 28, 2007 - George W. Bush David J. Kramer - March 21, 2008 - January 20 2009 - George W. Bush

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Meetings and More Meetings... mixed in with some Human Rights

Today began, as scheduled, with a meeting between Dora Bakoyannis, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic of Greece and the Secretary. Their talks were to be centered around bilateral relations, OSCE issues, the situation in the Middle East and the Caucasus, developments in the Balkans, relations with Turkey and the Cyprus issue according to the Embassy of Greece.

Here is their brief statement to the press:

Next, the Secretary gave The State Department's 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights, an annual speech given by the Secretary of State. Hillary really pressed on the fact that we must work on these issues here on American soil, first. And then extend ourselves to working on Human Right's abroad. She said:

"Our commitment to human rights is driven by our faith and our moral values, and by our belief that America must first be an exemplar of our own ideals."

Human Right's groups so far seem to be praising this years speech saying that these remarks follow a number of positive steps taken by the new Administration to begin to remedy the United States' own human rights violations, particularly regarding torture and detention. Preliminary improvements to these practices, which had seriously compromised the promotion of human rights abroad, provide a brighter context for this year's reports.

"Making the protection of human rights a top priority is completely consistent with the concept of 'smart power' Secretary of State Clinton has put forth," said Elisa Massimino, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Human Rights First.

"The calculus is simple: Human rights violations contribute to instability, insecurity and lack of transparency and accountability that exacerbate crises and threaten US interests abroad, while human rights protections - including labor rights, just legal systems, and official accountability - advance economic growth and international security." Next was a meeting with with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. Watch the introduction here.

Questions have been raised about plans to field a missile-defense system in Eastern Europe. After the meeting, Sikorski told the press he did not know whether the missile plan, opposed by Russia, would go ahead. He said, "My genuine impression is that they have not thought about this yet. They really have not decided. They do have other big, several trillion dollar priorities... We think it is only natural that a new administration take stock of all kinds of programs, including this one."

Sirkorski previously met with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. He said Obama had restored America's "moral" standing in the world and would put strong pressure on Europeans to contribute more troops to Afghanistan. "I expect him to say ... 'I am prepared to give you a bigger share of global leadership if you will give me resources to fix the war that you joined willingly and unanimously. The Europeans will have a harder nut to crack because we will have to think how we can come up to the challenge."

The next meeting with Amre Moussa, Secretary General of the Arab League, seemed to be interesting. Although, I couldn't find any video or photos of their introduction... Moussa hopes that the United States will take on the role of "honest broker" in the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians. Moussa has spoken openly about his distaste for President Bush saying, "What we need is a policy change." He also openly talked about Mideast envoy, George J. Mitchell. Calling him a hopeful change. "Mr. Mitchell is the personification of the honest broker," Moussa said in a public discussion at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. This meeting was followed by guess what? More meetings! The Secretary held a bilateral meeting with His Excellency Celso Amorim, Minister of Foreign Relations of the Federative Republic of Brazil (watch their meeting here) and one with Dr. Jaime Bermudez Merizalde, Minister of Foreign Relations of the Republic of Colombia (watch their meeting here). This evening the Secretary hosted a working dinner for His Excellency Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and for His Excellency Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

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Last Leg: China, Farewell

With official meetings over, Clinton kicked off the third and final day of her highly anticipated first visit to China with a church service at modern Haidian Church in a western suburb of Beijing, due to be followed by audiences with civil society leaders. When asked about her church visit, she was reported saying with a laugh, "I thought I would just go to church... I think that speaks volumes."

President George W Bush did this as well when visiting the country himself to highlight lack of religious freedom in China. But they said Hillary's church-going was "private" unlike Bush's which was open to the media. Security was tight including plain clothes police. They kept a small crowd of onlookers well away from the entrance of the church.

She then headed to the U.S. Embassy to host a forum with a small group of women and "civil society leaders" including academics, non-governmental org leaders and entrepreneurs. Among the women reportedly invited to meet her are AIDS activist Goa Yaojie and magazine editor Hu Shuli. Hillary said that she wanted to know about the obstacles facing women in China, and was told about campaigns for Aids patients in the country as well as the need for females at high levels in the Chinese government.

The secretary of state ended her official engagements by taking part in a web chat with the China Daily - the Chinese government's main English-language newspaper. She chats with Sun Shangwu, head of the news center of the China Daily, and receives a gift while waiting for the chat to begin. As you can see, she's been on the cover. :)

This is a good article from the China Daily about her Asia Trip. They had a little tid bit about the hotel she was staying at:

The human rights issue has been a sticking point during this part of her trip. Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi pretty much agreed to disagree on human rights. We all know human rights is a huge important issue to Hillary, but this was not the focus of her trip. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International were angered by the Secretary in saying she would not allow the issue to block progress on those pressing global problems. But this statement didn't come without some backlash. Chinese activists report that several dissidents had been harassed, detained or warned not to speak out or meet with Clinton.

Zeng Jinyan has spoken out about this. She is one of China's most prominent dissidents and wife of jailed activist Hu Jia. She told AFP in an Internet message that under house arrest because Hillary Clinton came and that police controls forced her from attending a meeting with Gao Yaojie, an AIDS activist from central China, on Saturday. Gao Yaojie was due to arrive in Beijing on Saturday and had a planned meeting with Clinton today.

There have been reports of others activists being harassed by Chinese officials and barred from going to events. Many of these people signed Charter 'O8, a petition released last year calling for political reform in China. Apparently the authorities in Beijing are furious over the petition.

Well, Secretary Clinton has already left Beijing, wrapping up her tour of four great Asian nations this afternoon. This is very bittersweet, I can't believe this amazing ride is over but I'm glad she will be back in the U.S. All in all, great job Hillary! You've made our nation proud, see ya in the homeland!

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