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Geneva: Speakers at a seminar held on the sidelines of the 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva highlighted the plight of women in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), calling for accountability for conflict-related gender-based violence and justice for victims of sexual violence and enforced disappearances.<\/p>\n
According to Kashmir Media Service, the seminar, titled “Gender-Based Violence in the Context of Conflicts,” was jointly organized by the International Muslim Women Union (IMWU) and the Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR). The event examined the intersection of international human rights and humanitarian law with the ongoing situation in IIOJK, focusing on the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, enforced disappearances, and the resulting trauma suffered by women, including those known as half-widows and half-wives in the territory.<\/p>\n
The speakers referred to incidents ranging from the mass rape at Kunan Poshpora in 1991 to reported cases in Khutha, Shopian and other areas, saying survivors and human rights monitors have documented patterns of sexual violence committed by Indian forces in IIOJK. They observed that such acts, committed in the context of armed conflict, may constitute war crimes under the Geneva Conventions and other applicable international legal standards.<\/p>\n
The seminar also highlighted the findings of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reports on Kashmir (2018 and 2019), which expressed serious concern over sexual violence, the lack of accountability and the excessive use of force in the occupied territory.<\/p>\n
The speakers said enforced disappearances have left thousands of women in prolonged uncertainty, forcing many “half-widows” and “half-wives” to confront legal, economic and social hardships while pursuing justice through Indian courts, UN mechanisms and public advocacy. They noted that women in conflict-affected areas continue to suffer severe psycho-social trauma, including post-traumatic stress, depression, stigma and economic marginalization. They added that this has been highlighted in the OHCHR reports and civil society documentation.<\/p>\n
The seminar underscored states’ obligations under international law, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the UN Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security, to prevent, investigate and redress gender-based violence in conflict situations.<\/p>\n
Civil society representatives and survivors’ groups urged the international community to support independent investigations, ensure survivor-centred reparations and facilitate the implementation of the OHCHR recommendations. They stressed that justice delayed is justice denied and that women in IIOJK, like survivors of conflicts elsewhere, are entitled to truth, accountability and dignity.<\/p>\n
The seminar was moderated by Paras Zaffar, an LLM scholar at the Geneva University. The speakers included Carolyn Handschin-Moser, Director of the Office for UN Relations Geneva, Women’s Federation for World Peace International; Am\u00e9lie d’Hausen, PhD scholar at the Geneva University; Advocate Shia Saleem Qurashi; and Tahreem Bukhari, Assistant Director of the Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS), AJK.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Geneva: Speakers at a seminar held on the sidelines of the 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva highlighted the plight of women in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), calling for accountability for conflict-related gender-based violence and justice for victims of sexual violence and enforced disappearances. According to Kashmir …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":204180,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-204179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-geneva"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t