The G8 summit of foreign ministers in London were joined by Hollywood star Angelina Jolie on Thursday (April 11).
She has joined forces with host British Foreign Secretary William Hague to call on the G8 to agree landmark measures to secure justice for survivors of sexual violence in warzones and to deter perpetrators.
At the meeting Hague announced a further 10 million pounds to tackle sexual violence against women and girls in conflict areas.
"This in my mind the slave trade of our generation. I know that this is a difficult and painful subject and that people tend to shy away from talking about it, victims of sexual violence labour under a wholly unjust and deeply ingrained stigma which we must lift from them."
Jolie said: "Rape is not a woman's issue or a humanitarian issue. It is a global issue. And it belongs here at the top table of international decision making."
The actress called on other governments to make the cause a priority.
"If they do, this will be the start of a new global alliance against warzone rape and sexual violence and finally an end to impunity," she said.
Jolie is a United Nations Special Envoy for Refugees. Last month Jolie and Hague visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda to highlight the human cost of warzone rape. They met with survivors of sexual violence and met political leaders to press for a lasting solution to the conflict.
Jolie and Hague have been working together since May 2012 when they launched a new UK campaign to prevent rape being used as a weapon of war.
The G8 talks began on Wednesday over dinner and are due to end Thursday. North Korean threats of war, the Syrian conflict and curbing Iran's nuclear programme are expected to be high on the agenda.
Leaders of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) were present on the sidelines of the G8 meeting. They have already met with Hague and are were expected to meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and any other ministers willing to hold discussions with them.
