As the Taliban extends its grip over Afghanistan and as Islamic State and other extremists continue to press their oppressive ideologies across the world, it is increasingly important that the United States leads on protecting and extending the natural rights of women and girls.

One important element of that leadership will be preventing and prosecuting cases of sexual violence in wartime.

Rape is often a weapon of war. Researchers and historians agree that just about every major military conflict in history has brought with it a rise in instances of sexual violence. That’s not just because war leads to lawlessness, though that is certainly true. Rape isn’t just a byproduct of war; it’s a tool of war. It is a strategy.

According to a 2007 report from the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, “Sexual violence during conflict is an act of domination, grounded in a complex web of cultural preconceptions, in particular as regards gender roles. It is used to torture and humiliate people, and to punish or humiliate an enemy group or community. Sexual violence may be encouraged or tolerated within armed groups. In some conflicts, it has been used strategically to advance military objectives.”

We are grateful for the recent contribution of freelance journalist Hollie McKay, whose June 27 essay described gender-based violence still being perpetrated by Islamic State, and which advocated for prosecuting rape as a war crime.

We agree with her. Rape is recognized as a war crime under the International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute of 2002, but it is rarely prosecuted. That’s not to say all sexual violence is a war crime, but when it is perpetrated as such, it should be prosecuted as such.

And there is more to be done. Specifically, even as (and especially because) the Biden administration is leaving Afghanistan, it should take the lead on the world’s stage to protect the rights of women. We see at least four places where the president can do so.

First, the president should lead rhetorically. He should find a platform that will draw public attention to rape as a weapon of war, similar to how Ronald Reagan used the Berlin Wall to ensure his speech calling for its destruction drew an international spotlight.

Biden’s public remarks should show how militarized forces such as Islamic State and Boko Haram use sexual violence to strategic ends. He should meet with survivors, hear their stories and make sure the world hears their stories too.

Second, the Biden administration can press for specific regimes and even individuals to be identified as committing these crimes so they can’t continue to do so with impunity. Without pressure in the public sphere, prosecution is unlikely.

McKay wrote about Yazidi women who say they have been victimized by Islamic State fighters. But despite hundreds of them coming forward to tell their stories, no Islamic State member has been prosecuted for the crime of sexual violence.

What’s needed here is leadership. This is an opportunity for Biden to make good on his campaign promise of restoring American leadership on the world stage.