Speakers at a seminar held on the sidelines of the 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) expressed grave concerns over the gross violations of basic human rights of women and children around the world especially in conflict hit regions like Kashmir and Palestine.
The seminar, hosted by International Muslim Women Union, was addressed by noted international law experts, political, social and rights activists including Mary Scully, Dr. Shazia Anwar Cheema, Dr. Asma Shakir Khawaja, Misbah Mukhtar, Ayesha Rafiq and others. The event was moderated by Kashmiri rights activist Shaista Safi.
Referring to the endless suffering of women and children in Kashmir and Palestine, the panelists pointed out that the continued unrest in both the disputed regions have had a devastating impacts on the lives of women and children. “Violence, displacement, and constant grief have severely affected their physical, mental, and emotional well-being”, they said, adding that among the multiple forms of abuse they face, sexual violence stands out as a particularly egregious assault, leaving a legacy of suffering embodied by rape survivors.
The speakers lamented that violence against women and children was persistent and systematic in Kashmir, Palestine and other disputed territories, adding that women and girls live in constant fear of abduction and assault by the occupation forces.
Referring to the plight of Kashmiri women, they said that women have been the worst victims of Indian state terrorism in Kashmir. They said that the Kashmir conflict had rendered over 23,000 women widowed since 1989. The Indian troops, they said had been involved in sexual harassment of women.
Kunanposhpora mass rape, Shopian double rape and murder, and Kathua rape-and murder of an 8-year-old girl, they said, were shocking examples of the extreme brutality of the Indian forces’ personnel that continue to bruise hearts and minds of the Kashmiri people.—INP
