In an open debate on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence at the UN Security Council, India’s Charge d’Affaires at the UN, Eldos Mathew Punnoos, highlighted the sexual violence committed by Pakistan since 1971. Punnoos said that even today, minority communities residing in Pakistan continue to face sexual crimes, which he described as deplorable.

Gross sexual violence by Pakistan army

Punnoos stated that the Pakistan Army had committed heinous acts of gross sexual violence against hundreds of thousands of women in erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971 with utter impunity. Calling the acts shameful and a matter of record, he said this pattern continues unabated even today.

As Pakistan assumes its role as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, Punnoos reminded it of the atrocities committed by its army against Bangladeshi women in 1971.

“Rampant abduction, trafficking, child, early and forced marriages, domestic servitude, sexual violence, and forced religious conversions of thousands of vulnerable women and girls as weapons of persecution towards religious and ethnic minority communities are reported and chronicled, including in recent OHCHR reports,” he said.

Judiciary in Pakistan legitimises crimes against women

Punnoos also noted that the judiciary in Pakistan legitimises crimes against women. “Reports have revealed that the judiciary in Pakistan endorses such acts,” he said.

Calling it ironic for the perpetrators to pose as champions of justice, he further emphasised that their duplicity and hypocrisy are evident.

“Perpetrators of heinous acts of conflict-related sexual violence must be condemned in the strongest possible terms and brought to justice. Sexual violence in conflict zones not only destroys individual lives but tears apart the very fabric of societies, leaving lasting scars on communities for generations,” he added.

Indian model that can be replicated

Highlighting India’s initiatives that other nations could replicate, Punnoos referred to the all-women police units deployed at different places to counter sexual violence, the Nirbhaya Fund for establishing safe environments for women, and the pan-India response support system for women’s safety issues. He said, “Member states could consider replicating this model. Finally, on justice delivery, comprehensive training programmes have been developed for investigation and prosecution, and for medical officers to ensure forensic evidence collection withstands judicial scrutiny.”

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