At UN, India Slams Pakistan Over Sexual Violence in Conflict: ‘Shameful Record Since 1971’

‘Shameful Record Since 1971’: India’s Charge d’Affaires at the UN, Eldos Mathew Punnoos, today (local time) spoke about the sexual violence perpetrated by Pakistan since 1971.

Punnoos said in the UN Security Council Open Debate on ‘Conflict-Related Sexual Violence’ that sexual crimes against women from minority communities in Pakistan continue even today and it’s deplorable.

"The utter impunity with which the Pakistan army perpetrated heinous crimes of gross sexual violence against hundreds of thousands of women in erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971 is a matter of shameful record. This deplorable pattern continues unabated and with impunity to this day," he said.

He said women and girls in Pakistan’s minority communities are still being abducted, trafficked, forced married and converted today. The country’s judiciary also validates these crimes against women, Punnoos pointed out.

"It is ironic that those who perpetrate these crimes are now masquerading as champions of justice. The duplicity and hypocrisy are self-evident," he said.

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India reminded the Council that Pakistan, which is currently a non-permanent member of the UNSC, continues to persecute minority women through abductions, forced conversions, early marriages, trafficking and other abuses.

Punnoos cited recent UN human rights reports that have documented these violations.

“Rampant abduction, trafficking, child early and forced marriages and domestic servitude, sexual violence and forced religious conversions of thousands of vulnerable women and girls as weapons of persecution towards religious and ethnic minority communities are reported and chronicled, including in the recent OHCHR reports," he noted, adding that Pakistan’s judiciary has often validated such crimes.

"These reports highlight that its judiciary also validates the vile acts by Pakistan. It is ironic that those who perpetrate these crimes are now masquerading as champions of justice. The duplicity and hypocrisy are self-evident," he said.

While urging accountability, Punnoos said support for the survivors is key and prosecuting the abusers.

"Perpetrators of heinous acts of conflict-related sexual violence must be condemned in the strongest possible terms and brought to justice. Sexual violence in conflict zones not only destroys individual lives, but tears apart the very fabric of societies, leaving lasting scars on communities for generations," he said.

Punnoos said to address this issue support for the victims is important and prosecuting the perpetrators.

"A multifaceted approach is essential to address this crime and offer support to its survivors. This includes prosecuting and deterring such crimes in conflict situations, ensuring no impunity for perpetrators, and adopting a survivor-centric approach in prevention and response mechanisms," he said.

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"UNSC Resolution 2467 of 2019 has been instrumental in highlighting the need to provide victims access to national relief and reparations programs, health care, psychosocial care, safe shelter, legal aid, and facilitate rehabilitation and reintegration efforts to bring a semblance of normalcy to their lives," he added.

He mentioned India’s global and domestic contributions, said New Delhi was one of the first to contribute to the UN Secretary-General’s Trust Fund for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.

He also mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership role in UN initiatives on preventing sexual exploitation in peacekeeping operations.

India’s peacekeeping record was also highlighted, Punnoos recalled the deployment of the world’s first all-women police unit to Liberia in 2007 and recent female contingents in MONUSCO, UNICEF and UNMAS missions.

Training programs in New Delhi now specialise in gender-sensitive peacekeeping and preventing conflict-related sexual violence.

At the domestic level, India has put in place wide-ranging safety and justice mechanisms for women including the USD 1.2 billion Nirbhaya Fund, a nationwide emergency response system through 112 and Sakhi One Stop Centres at district headquarters offering shelter, legal aid and medical assistance.

Fast-track courts and special training programs for investigators and medical officers are also part of the model India has developed to ensure swift and fair justice.

“As I conclude, allow me to once again reaffirm India’s unwavering commitment to root out sexual violence in armed conflict and support and assist survivors of such heinous crimes," Punnoos said.

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