In an historic move, the war crimes tribunal in The Hague convicted three Bosnian Serb generals for 'sexual enslavement' on 22 February; for the first time rape is being treated as a crime against humanity.

'This judgment sends a clear message to combatants involved in any conflict: that they will be held accountable at the international level -- and will be punished -- for holding women captive and subjecting them to sexual slavery,' Mike Dottridge, Director of Anti-Slavery International said.

According to testimony, the men kept Muslim women and girls from Foca in Bosnia-Herzegovina as sexual slaves, subjecting them to repeated rape and other violence. Judge Florence Mumba sentenced them to jail terms ranging from 12 to 28 years.

The ruling has wide implications for similar cases of sexual slavery in war and marks a significant step forward in the establishment of a permanent international criminal court.