UN Special Rapporteur briefed on women rights situation in IIOJK
Geneva: APHC-AJK leader and Kashmir delegate, Mrs. Shamim Shawl, met with Reema Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls, to highlight the egregious human rights violations perpetrated against Kashmiri women and girls.
According to Kashmir Media Service, at a significant meeting at the United Nations Human Rights Council, Mrs. Shawl apprised the Special Rapporteur of the alarming situation in Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, where women have been subjected to molestation, rape, and humiliation with impunity since 1989. She emphasized the lack of prosecution for these heinous crimes and the ongoing trauma and fear psychoses among Kashmiri women.
The APHC-AJK leader also brought attention to the use of force and pellet guns in educational institutions, resulting in the blinding of dozens of school-going girls and deprivation of education. Furthermore, she highlighted the plight of half-widows whose husbands have been disappeared by occupation forces for over thirty years, leaving them starving and unable to access education for their children.
Mrs. Shawl urged the Special Rapporteur to intervene and play a crucial role in mitigating the sufferings of Kashmiri women.
The Special Rapporteur thanked Mrs. Shawl for updating her on the situation and acknowledged the gravity of the issue.
