New York: Pakistan has called for stronger global action to end conflict-related sexual violence during a United Nations Security Council debate. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed urged equal accountability, greater support for victims and full implementation of international humanitarian law.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, while addressing the open debate of the Security Council, said that sexual violence is not an inevitable consequence of war but is often used as a weapon of fear, coercion and collective punishment.
He said that such crimes destroy the lives of victims, tear apart families and leave lasting scars on societies.
Pakistan stressed that equal accountability should be ensured in all armed conflicts and situations of foreign occupation on the agenda of the Security Council.
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed called for the provision of medical, psychological, legal and economic assistance to victims essential, saying that restoring justice and dignity is a shared responsibility of the international community.
Pakistan also stressed the need to further strengthen the protection system for women and fully implement international humanitarian law.
