WUNRN
NGOs Send Protest Letter to UN Secretary-General Over
Sexual Abuse
UNITED
NATIONS, Oct 27 (IPS) - A
coalition of more than 180 international non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
has sent a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asking him to "state
publicly and strongly that there will be no impunity for U.N. personnel who
engage in any form of exploitation, including sexual abuse." The
letter urges the Secretary-General to make his Special Representatives (SRSGs),
who are his senior most representatives in U.N. missions, "personally
responsible for any violation, and ask for their resignations in such
cases." Signed by a broad coalition of NGOs -- including the International
League for Human Rights, World Vision International, World Movement of Mothers,
the Hague Appeal for Peace, the National Council of Churches of India and Women
for Peace in the Netherlands -- the letter is described as one of the strongest
protests by NGOs who complain that the entire credibility of the U.N. system is
at stake because little or no action is taken to punish the offenders.
The letter,
delivered last week, says: "We, the undersigned, congratulate the United
Nations and the Security Council for recognising the experiences of women in
conflicts and war. U.N. Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820
(2008) articulate the critical role of women in peacemaking and peace building,
and that the protection needs of women during conflict and crisis are essential
elements of peace and security."
"Despite
these milestones, women and girls continue to experience alarming forms of
exploitation and violence -- including sexual violence in many countries
worldwide. While the U.N. has made many efforts, it is most disappointing that
parts of the system are still implicated in such abuse in conflict areas. Even
one incident is one too many."
"It is
time to put words into action. SCR 1820 demands zero tolerance. We know that
you have the means -- and hopefully the willingness -- to take a historic
leadership role in this matter, with the following steps:
*
"Assert leadership and take needed action on this matter.
* Do
everything in your power to bring any U.N. personnel involved in sexual
exploitation and abuse (SEA) to international justice, including through
International Criminal Court (ICC) mechanisms."
"We
urge you to do what is right and take immediate action regarding the steps
proposed above. We support you wholeheartedly in this endeavour. We look
forward to your response".
Eighty-four
public figures, including academics, writers, government officials, peace
advocates, human rights activists, and former U.N. officials also signed the
letter.
The issue of
sexual abuse in U.N. missions overseas is expected to be discussed by the
Security Council later this week. Ambassador Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, a former
U.N. Under-Secretary-General, was the initiator of Security Council resolution
1325 in March 2000, when he was president of the Council in his capacity as
Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the U.N. He recently proposed the
preparation of a set of indicators by June 2009 to monitor implementation of
that resolution by the countries, the U.N. system as well as other multilateral
bodies.
The
resolution, described as the first in which the Security Council addressed the
role and experience of women in armed conflicts, called on warring parties to
adopt "a gender perspective" on peace negotiations and "gender
mainstreaming" in all U.N. peacekeeping missions. But more than eight
years later, there are growing complaints that the political thrust of that historic
resolution still remains unimplemented, and that there is now a need for a
fulltime U.N. special representative to pursue turning the resolution into
reality.
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