Shamim Shawl highlights plight of women in IIOJK at UNHRC session
Geneva: Kashmiri leader Shamim Shawl highlighted the harrowing plight of Kashmiri women in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and condemned the continued oppression and violence they face under Indian occupation.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Mrs. Shawl, while participating in the general debate on agenda item 3 during the 58th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva via video conference, spoke on behalf of the International Muslim Women’s Union. She emphasized the continued suffering of Kashmiri women, particularly referencing high-profile cases like the Kunan-Poshpora and Shopian rape incidents, where young women, elderly grandmothers, and children, including 8-year-old Asifa, were victims of brutal violence.
Mrs. Shawl quoted a Kashmiri photojournalist, who said, “There is nothing for the women of Kashmir to celebrate, only humiliation, brutality, and the death of their children.” She pointed out that despite widespread calls for justice, the Indian state’s military and police forces have consistently blocked the registration of complaints. She also highlighted that several cases, including those involving mass rapes and violence, have been closed, with one such case still awaiting a hearing in the Indian Supreme Court.
“The women of Kashmir have patiently and repeatedly recounted their experiences to anyone who has reached out to them, but it is only the Indian state that chooses to disbelieve them,” she stated.
Mrs. Shawl also referenced reports stating that thousands of women have lost their sons, fathers, brothers, and husbands due to custodial disappearances by Indian troops.
Despite 187 countries ratifying the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Mrs. Shawl stressed that Kashmiri women continue to suffer under India’s oppression.
