Sheryl Sandberg Instagram – For over a decade, I’ve been urging women to lean in. Now I’m calling on everyone to speak out. Rape should never be used as an act of war. This truth must be upheld despite the politics of our time. The ground gained on protecting women against sexual violence was hard-fought. Until recently, wartime rape was tolerated. A breakthrough came just thirty years ago when the armed conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and the DRC saw the deliberate use of mass sexual violence. Global women’s organizations and human rights activists fought for change, helping to establish that rape cannot be seen as a lesser crime. Silence on the rapes Hamas committed — or any rapes — is so dangerous because threatens to undo an entire movement. No matter what any of us believe should happen in the Middle East — no matter which marches you attend or which flag you’re flying — there are no circumstances that rationalize the atrocities Hamas carried out. It’s time to re-find and reclaim our unified voice in opposing rape. Here are my full remarks from the special session at the @unitednations.