India has called for the UN Security Council's sanctions regimes to be strengthened in order to ensure that persons and institutions engaged in sexual abuse against women in armed conflicts are blacklisted, which it claims is used as a tool to subjugate citizens.
Speaking at the Security Council open debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti said it is vital for the member states to develop a comprehensive legal framework in line with international standards to ensure the effective prosecution of sexual violence as a self-standing crime.
“Sexual violence in armed conflicts, perpetrated by state and non-state actors, is a weapon used to subjugate the people. It fuels displacement, destabilizes and traumatises communities, weakens governance, and imperils the opportunities for post-conflict reconciliation and stability,” Tirumurti said.
“National governments have the primary responsibility for prosecuting and deterring such crimes in conflict situations on their territories, even if these are alleged to have been committed by non-state actors. Where required, the UN could assist member states in augmenting their capacities to deal with this issue,” he said.
In order to deter violence, end the culture of impunity, and rehabilitate and reintegrate survivors, India also stated that the Council's sanctions regimes and other targeted interventions must be strengthened to fully realize their potential in advancing women's security from sexual abuse in armed conflicts, “including by naming individuals and entities involved in sexual violence against women in armed conflicts”.
Tirumurti called for nations to work together to minimise the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual violence in armed conflicts and to "preserve our hard-won progress in this field" as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to place women and girls in armed conflicts at even greater risk.
Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten cited over 2,500 UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 18 countries last year alone and told the Council there was a “chasm between resolutions and reality.”
“When history looks back on this painful episode – as part of the long litany of battles fought on the bodies of women and girls, from Bosnia to Rwanda, Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere – we will rightly be asked what we did to honour our commitments,” she said.
Mr. Tirumurti also emphasized the importance of adopting a victim-centered approach to preventing and reacting to sexual abuse in armed conflicts by member states.
He calls for more women representation in peace operations to address deep-rooted inequality and subordination in society.
The legacy that the Indian women peacekeepers left behind was the next generation of Liberian female leaders, who are currently serving in the national police force.
Mr. Tirumurti also praised Indian woman peacekeeper Major Suman Gawani, who was previously deployed with the UN Mission in South Sudan, for mentoring over 230 UN Military Observers and ensuring the participation of women military observers in each of the Mission's team sites.
