European Parliament resolution on
participation of women in peaceful conflict resolution
(2000/2025(INI))
The European Parliament,
- having regard to the United Nations Universal
Declaration of Human Rights of 10 December 1948, and to the Vienna
Declaration and Program of Action resulting from the World
Conference on Human Rights of 14-25 June 1993, in particular
paragraphs I 28-29 and II 38 on systematic rape, sexual slavery and
forced pregnancy in situations of armed conflict,
- having regard to the United Nations Convention on
the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
of 18 December 1979, to the United Nations Declaration on the
Elimination of Violence against Women of 20 December 1993, and to
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child of 20
November 1989,
- having regard to the General Assembly Convention
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment of 10 December 1984, and to the General Assembly
Declaration 3318 on the Protection of Women and Children in
Emergency and Armed Conflict of 14 December 1974, in particular
paragraph 4 which calls for effective measures against persecution,
torture, violence and degrading treatment of women,
- having regard to the United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1265 on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict of
17 September 1999, in particular paragraph 14, requesting that
United Nations personnel involved in peacekeeping and peace-building
activities have appropriate training in human rights law, including
gender-related provisions,
- having regard to the United Nations General Assembly
Resolution 3519 on Women's Participation in the Strengthening of
International Peace and Security of 15 December 1975, and to the
United Nations General Assembly Declaration 37/63 on the
Participation of Women in Promoting International Peace and
Cooperation of 3 December 1982, in particular paragraph 12 on
practical measures to increase women's representation in peace
efforts,
- having regard to the Beijing Declaration and
Platform for Action resulting from the Forth United Nations World
Conference on Women of 4-15 September 1995, in particular critical
concern area E on Women and Armed Conflict, and to the outcome
document of the United Nations Beijing +5 Special Session on further
actions and initiatives to implement the Beijing Declaration and the
Platform for Action of 5-9 June 2000, in particular paragraph 13 on
obstacles to women's equal participation in peace-building efforts,
and paragraph 124 on a 50/50 gender balance in peacekeeping missions
and peace negotiations,
- having regard to the International Criminal Court
resulting from the Rome Statute of 1998, in particular Articles 7
and 8 defining rape, sexual slavery, forced impregnation, forced
sterilisation and any other form of sexual violence as crimes
against humanity and war crimes, including as a form of torture and
a grave war crime, whether they occur in a systematic or
non-methodical manner, and whether these acts occur in international
or internal conflicts,
- having regard to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and
the additional Protocols of 1977, stating that women will be
protected against rape, and any other form of sexual assault,
- having regard to the European Convention for the
Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1950, in
particular Articles 3 and 4, which prohibit inhuman treatment or
punishment and torture, as well as slavery,
- having regard to the European Council resolution on
Integrating Gender in Development of 20 December 1995, in particular
paragraph 19 stressing that a gender perspective must be paramount
in emergency operations and crisis prevention,
- having regard to the Declaration and Agenda for
Action of the United Nations Millenium Forum on the Strengthening of
the United Nations for the 21st Century of 26 May 2000, in
particular paragraph 11 of section B on gender training for all
peacekeeping personnel,
- having regard to its resolution on women in
decision-making of 2 March 2000(1) , in particular recital
I and paragraph 14 on women's participation in peace-keeping,
peace-building and conflict-preventing activities,
- having regard to its resolution of 13 April 1984(2) on the application of
the Geneva Convention relating to the status of refugees, in
particular paragraphs 1 and 2 on providing refugee status to women
who face harsh or inhumane treatment because they are considered to
have transgressed the social mores of the society in which they
live,
- having regard to its resolution of 17 December
1992(3) on the rape of women in
the former Yugoslavia, in particular paragraph 2 calling for the
recognition of rape as a war crime and crime against humanity,
- having regard to its resolution of 11 March 1993(4) on the rape of women in
former Yugoslavia, in particular paragraph 14 calling for proper
medical support for women rape victims, specifically facilities for
termination of pregnancy, where that is the woman's wish,
- having regard to the outcome documents of its public
hearing of 26-27 June 1995 on gender specific human rights
violations, and its public hearing of 18 February 1993 on rape as a
war crime in Bosnia, in particular their recognition of the upheaval
that refugee status brings to the lives of women, and the latter's
call for financial compensation for victims of rape in armed
conflict,
- having regard to Rule 163 of its Rules of
Procedure,
- having regard to the report of the Committee on
Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities (A5-0308/2000
),
A. whereas the Geneva Convention does not refer to
acts of sexual violence as a "grave breach crime” or as a specific
form of torture thereby making it ambiguous whether sexual violence
is always considered a war crime,
B. whereas women develop strength, power and
flexibility in certain situations, recognise abuses and are prepared
to take initiatives for their families and for society, thereby
bringing about positive changes ,
C. whereas the United Nations General Assembly
Declaration 3318 on the Protection of Women and Children in
Emergency and Armed Conflict is technically vague, failing to
mention sexual violence or the specific needs of refugee women,
D. whereas 4/5 of the world's refugees are women and
children and 90% of war victims are now civilians, mainly women and
children,
E. whereas rape and sexual violence have been shown to
be highly prevalent in refugee camps in, for example, Kenya and
Tanzania,
F. whereas rape as a weapon of war has been documented
throughout history, most recently in the former Yugoslavia, Sudan,
Liberia, Uganda, Peru, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Somalia, Rwanda,
Bangladesh, as well as in other conflicts,
G. whereas a wide spectrum of studies demonstrate that
the mobilisation of male soldiers - both warring factions and
peacekeepers - contributes to the growth of prostitution around
military bases and army camps, subsequently increasing child
prostitution, and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases,
H. whereas armed factions in conflicts across the
globe, for instance in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Sudan, have
captured young girls and women and forced them into sexual
slavery,
I. whereas women who are raped during war are often
stigmatised by their local communities and often not provided with
health care or psychological trauma services,
J. whereas several peacekeepers from European Union
Member States have been dismissed from United Nations missions for
acts of sexual violence in Somalia and Mozambique,
K. whereas only four European Union Member States -
Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg - have ratified the Rome
Statute out of the sixty states necessary to authorise the
International Criminal Court (ICC),
L. whereas, as a consequence of armed conflict, the
breakdown of socio-economic systems and increased levels of poverty,
trafficking of women is a growing phenomenon in areas of
conflict,
M. whereas women's peace initiatives often cross
warring factions - as in the Middle East, Cyprus and Northern
Ireland - and are often undertaken at great risk in areas of extreme
conflict - as in Sudan, Lebanon and Russia,
N. whereas women are often marginalized or excluded
from negotiation and diplomacy aimed at ending armed conflicts, as
was the case in peace talks in, for example, Burundi, Tajikistan,
and most recently in Kosovo,
O. whereas the rights, priorities and interests of
women are frequently ignored in formal peace negotiations,
P. whereas women's full participation in
decision-making, conflict prevention and resolution and all peace
initiatives is vital; whereas their participation in peacekeeping
missions has not been numerically significant until the 1990s, the
increased presence of women in the civilian, military and police
components of peacekeeping operations has resulted in improved
relations with local communities, which is essential to the creation
of a sustainable peace,
Q. whereas donor attention during demobilisation of
military forces and warring factions generally focuses on men,
resulting in women often being excluded from aid and development
programs associated with reconstruction,
R. whereas the needs of girl soldiers - who have often
been raped, used as sex slaves, had unwanted pregnancies, have
venereal diseases and/or AIDS - are generally not incorporated in
demobilisation initiatives,
S. stressing that sustainable peace is in many ways
contingent on community-based involvement and ownership of the peace
process - a process which can only be legitimate if women are
equally involved - and that the role of the international community
in supporting civil society networks that link local, national, and
international initiatives is crucial to the peace process,
I. The protection of war affected
populations
1. Condemns systematic rape, forced impregnation,
sexual slavery, and all other forms of gender-based violence in
situations of armed conflict;
2. Condemns the sexual misconduct of soldiers involved
in peacekeeping operations;
3. Condemns the use of child soldiers of both sexes;
4. Calls upon the Member States to take all necessary
steps to amend Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Protocol to define
rape, forced impregnation, sexual slavery, forced sterilization, and
any other forms of sexual violence as grave breaches of the Geneva
Conventions;
5. Calls upon Member States to ratify the Treaty of
Rome authorising an International Criminal Court, which formally
recognises rape, forced impregnation, forced sterilisation, sexual
slavery and any other form of sexual violence as crimes against
humanity and war crimes, including as a form of torture and a grave
war crime, whether they occur in a systematic or non-methodical
manner ;
6. Calls on the Member States to take action at the
United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and advocate the
updating of the wording of the Declaration on the Protection of
Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict to include sexual
violence and the specific needs of refugee women;
7. Calls on the Member States to take action at the
United Nations to ensure the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on
women in armed conflict situations;
8. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to
gender sensitise peace and security related initiatives, and to that
end:
(a)
provide training on the gender-aspects of
conflict resolution and peace-building to staff engaged in
policies concerning conflict at headquarters and in field
offices,
(b)
utilise local gender expertise in field
offices,
(c)
foster research on the development of
gender-based violence during and after armed
conflicts,
(d)
provide gender training at an early stage
in the training of military personnel so that respect for
women becomes a matter of course and a female-friendly
atmosphere prevails in the army,
(e)
ensure that actions against trafficking in
women in conflict affected areas form part of such
initiatives;
9. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to
integrate a gender perspective in the planning of refugee camps
under their funding auspices, and to that end:
(a)
make sure that all the initiatives they
fund are in line with international agreements and norms
concerning refugee women, such as the UNHCR guidelines on the
Protection of Refugee Women and on the Prevention of and
Response to Sexual Violence against
Refugees,
(b)
protect refugees and internally displaced
women and children from the possibility of sexual abuse
through the provision of appropriate preventive measures at
the very stage when camps are divided up,
(c)
secure the right of women refugees to
self-determination through appropriate economic opportunities
and equal representation in refugee committees and other
decision-making bodies in refugee camps,
(d)
secure safe conditions of return for women
and girls returning to their geographical areas of
origin;
10. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to
make available adequate financial resources so that victims of rape
and assault in areas with an armed conflict can receive
psychological counselling and have the choice between terminating
the pregnancy or giving birth discreetly and so that victims of
these outrages can be protected;
11. Calls on the Commission to set aside a certain
percentage of the EUR 216 million refugee fund for the training of
reception centre civil servants, police officers, and health staff
to meet the particular needs of refugee women;
12. Calls on the Member States to introduce a gender
perspective in their refugee policies, and to that end:
(a)
under specific conditions grant temporary
refugee status to women who have been raped or have been
subjected to other forms of sexual violence during armed
conflict, occupation and/or transition,
(b)
provide rape victims with treatment for
trauma and offer them practical help as outlined in paragraph
14 of its aforementioned resolution of 11 March 1993 on the
rape of women in Former Yugoslavia,
(c)
ensure that detention/reception centres for
refugees include separate facilities for non-related men and
women, concurrent with the appointment of gender trained staff
in the women's section;
II. International efforts to prevent and
solve armed conflicts
13. Calls on the Member States to promote equal
participation of women in diplomatic conflict resolution and
reconstruction initiatives at all levels, and to that end:
(a)
recruit more women to the diplomatic
services of Member States,
(b)
train women within the diplomatic corps of
Member States in negotiation, facilitation and mediation
skills, creating rosters of qualified women for peace and
security related assignments,
(c)
nominate more women to international
diplomatic assignments, specifically to senior positions (UN
special representatives, peace commissions, fact-finding
missions, etc.),
(d)
increase the percentage of women in
delegations to national, regional and international meetings
concerned with peace and security, as well as in formal peace
negotiations,
(e)
require international diplomatic peace
teams to systematically consult with women's community-based
peace groups and organisations, ensuring that their problems
and priorities are reflected in the official peace
process;
14. Calls on the Council and the Member States to
promote the gender sensitisation of peace, security and
reconstruction operations in which they participate, and to that
end:
(a)
make a gender analysis an automatic element
in the planning and practice of external interventions.
Specifically, analysing the extent to which women's social,
economic and political marginalization increase as a result of
the conflict, as well as the opportunities for improving
women's position as a result of the changed
situation,
(b)
ensure that all military personnel - male
as well as female - and specifically peace-building,
peacekeeping, and peace-enforcement personnel have thorough
gender training,
(c)
have magistrates and human rights observers
accompany peacekeepers to ensure that international law is
upheld;
15. Stresses that current conflicts demand the
increased use of non-military crisis-management, which means that
new non-military skills are required of peacekeepers, resulting in
enhanced opportunities for women, and calls on the Member States and
the Council to:
(a)
include women in all reconciliation,
peacekeeping, peace-enforcement, peace building, and conflict
preventive posts - including fact-finding and observer
missions - in which Member States participate,
(b)
secure that women participating in
peacekeeping operations are bound by United Nations norms and
international human rights principles and not by
discriminatory local restrictions,
(c)
promote the use of all female fact-finding
and assistance teams to respond to sexual violence and other
situations where demanded by the cultural context;
16. Stresses that reconciliation of deep-seated
conflicts present an unequalled opportunity to create the framework
for a democratic and equal society, and to that end, calls on the
Commission and the Member States to promote constitutional
protections of women's equality in the design of the peace
accords;
III. Community-based participation in the
prevention and resolution of armed conflicts
17. Points out that most women are traditionally
associated with non-violence, while their lives and value systems
are interwoven with the protection of life, dialogue,
reconciliation, negotiation and the peaceful settlement of disputes,
values which may provide an alternative solution to the modern
culture of violence and lay the foundations for a new culture, the
culture of peace, the strengthening of dialogue at all levels, the
equitable distribution of the planet's resources and respect for
racial, religious and cultural differences;
18. Stresses the importance of active local
involvement in the peace and reconciliation process; and calls upon
the Member States and the Commission to:
(a)
support the creation and strengthening of
non-governmental organisations, including women's
organisations, active in conflict prevention and in
post-conflict peace and reconstruction
work,
(b)
work towards the education of women's
organisations in non-violent conflict
resolution;
19. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to
systematically promote the participation of women in the official
conflict resolution process, and to that end:
(a)
encourage that warring factions incorporate
women into their peace negotiation teams,
(b)
ensure that gender inequalities and
repercussions are discussed systematically in each area of
negotiation,
(c)
ensure that the peace process is deeply
rooted, through requesting that warring factions incorporate
civil society representatives into their peace negotiation
teams,
(d)
support public awareness raising campaigns
and debates about the contents of the peace negotiations;
20. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to
ensure that women who are frequently the most vulnerable, and who
often have a crucial role in the rebuilding of their societies, are
not marginalised by inappropriate demobilisation and reconstruction
initiatives, and to that end:
(a)
promote a public debate in post-conflict
regions concerning gender-based abuses in order to avoid a
repetition of violence,
(b)
ensure that both women and men benefit from
reconstruction initiatives, specifically that female
ex-combatants are not excluded or made worse off from
demobilisation programs,
(c)
set aside a specific percentage of
demobilisation and reconstruction funds for women's political
and economic empowerment,
(d)
pay particular attention to the specific
rehabilitation needs of girl soldiers within demobilisation
initiatives;
21. Calls on the Commission and the Council to inform
the European Parliament on an annual basis on the progress,
programmes and initiatives undertaken as a consequence of this
resolution
22. Calls on the Council, Commission, and the UN
Secretary General to in all reporting on peace and security related
initiatives include a chapter covering gender related aspects;
o o o
23. Instructs its President to forward this resolution
to the Council, the Commission, and the UN Secretary General.
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