James Cleverly has warned rape in war violates international values as severely as the use of chemical weapons

The UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has warned rape in war violates international values as severely as the use of chemical weapons.

Speaking to the Sunday Times on the eve of hosting a major international conference on preventing sexual violence in conflict in London, Cleverly said the “abhorrent act” is being used in Ukraine and other parts of the world, Qazet.az reports.

“This is an absolutely abhorrent act and yet we are seeing in Ukraine and other parts of world this is still being used as a weapon of war. We need to make sure that military commanders understand that it is just as unacceptable as the use of chemical weapons or as the killing or abuse of prisoners of war,” he said.

Cleverly said he was horrified when he met victims in Yemen and Iraq as a junior foreign office minister two years ago. “It’s harrowing and now I ‘hear similar stories coming out from Ukraine and it never gets less painful,” he said.

He had a chance to hear testimony first-hand in Ukraine where he spent two days seeing the missile damage that has left much of the country, including the British embassy, without power and water.