DUBAI // The UAE has become one of 113 countries to sign a United Nations pledge to end sexual violence in conflict zones.
The initiative, signed in New York on Tuesday night, prohibits amnesties for sexual violence in peace agreements and allows suspects to be apprehended wherever they are in the world.
In a speech to the UN, the Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, called on all nations to "stand together to support this initiative and to speak with one voice to express our condemnation of this crime and our common resolve to prosecute and punish it in accordance with the law".
“We live in a world of increasing conflicts and wars, such as those in Syria for example,” Sheikh Abdullah told the UN meeting.
“The crimes of rape and other forms of sexual violence that occur during these conflicts are not a new phenomenon. They have been repeated throughout history as a means to degrade communities, humiliate opponents and destroy them.
“We remain committed with our partners from the international community to eliminate this barbarism.
“We can no longer accept that such crimes will be an inevitable result of conflicts in the 21st century. We have to refer very clearly to them as a war crime.”
The UN pledge stems from an initiative by British foreign minister William Hague, who said it was “a milestone towards shattering impunity for those who commit horrific crimes during times of war”.
In May, the UAE donated Dh5.7 million to help tackle the issue of sexual violence in Somalia after the UN reported there were more than 1,700 cases of rape in refugee camps in the country last year.
In Syria sexual violence against women has reached epidemic proportions.
The US-based Women’s Media Centre (WMC) carried out a study looking at the issue and found that of the women who suffered sexual assault, 40 per cent were gang raped.
In addition, 20 per cent of rape cases were against men, with government forces being classed as the perpetrators in 90 per cent of cases.
“Although most coverage of the Syrian civil war tends to focus on the fighting between the two sides, this war, like most, has a more insidious dimension: rape has been reportedly used widely as a tool of control, intimidation, and humiliation throughout the conflict,” said Lauren Wolfe, director of WMC, in a recent blogpost on the group’s website.
“And its effects, while not always fatal, are creating a nation of traumatised survivors – everyone from the direct victims of the attacks to their children, who may have witnessed or been otherwise affected by what has been perpetrated on their relatives.”
At a meeting attended by Ahmed Al Jarba, head of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, Sheikh Abdullah said the UAE will continue to support the people of Syria both diplomatically and through humanitarian assistance.
Sheikh Abdullah said he “looked forward to the success of international efforts and initiatives to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis”.
The UAE is committed to women’s rights and last year donated US$2.5 million (Dh9.1m) to UN Women, an agency dedicated to improving gender equality.
“The strengthening of the role and empowerment of women means ensuring that education is provided, as well as giving them the opportunity to invest their talents in the labour market and to participate in decision-making in government and business sectors,” said Sheikh Abdullah.
“There are no quick solutions in this regard, but we must do what we can, and the UAE will continue to support this important work.”
Sheikh Abdullah also met with Dr Zalmai Rassoul, the minister of foreign affairs of Afghanistan, at his residence in New York.
According to a report from Wam, the state news agency, Sheikh Abdullah said the UAE had long-standing historical relations with Afghanistan and reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to support the country’s security and stability and to provide assistance to the Afghan government in all fields, whether bilaterally or in cooperation with international partners.
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