Pakistan for steps to protect women
UNITED NATIONS – Pakistan has proposed a series of measures to the Security Council and the UN system to advance the process of protection and participation of women in conflict situations.
“Pakistan believes it is timely to focus on strengthening the UN responses to gender-based violence in conflict and post-conflict situation,” said Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Ambassador Munir Akram while addressing the Security Council on Thursday during its open debate on “Women, Peace and Security”.
He said that history witnessed the fact that women and girls suffered disproportionate violence and exploitation in conflict situation. He recalled that the Security Council acted decisively in 2000 to close this window of vulnerability and elevated women from being hapless victims of conflict situations to equal stakeholders in prevention and resolution of conflicts and also in post-conflict resolutions.
Munir said: “Violence against women is often used as a weapon of war to punish and dehumanise the women and persecute the community to which they belong.” He cited horrific level of violence against women witnessed in the conflicts of Balkan and Africa and elsewhere.
He said to address the situation, there is a need to end the impunity, demand all the parties to conflict to extend full respect and compliance for international humanitarian law. Similarly, he said, priority should also be given to build wherewithal of gender justice in post-conflict situations.
The envoy said despite best intentions and continuous efforts, the wider implementation of council’s resolution 1325 remains a formidable challenge. He stressed the need to think of creative ways of moving this work forward with three indispensable requirements.
He said there should be universal awareness of the council’s resolution and obligations it entails for all actors. Similarly, there should be sustained and long-term political commitment of the Security Council and member states and other national and international stakeholders and also commitment of substantial human and financial resources.
Source: The News
Date:10/30/2004
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