UNITED NATIONS: India condemned Pakistan at a UN debate, highlighting the “heinous crimes of gross sexual violence” against women in erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971, and asserted that such patterns of abuse continue “with impunity to this day.”
Responding to what he called a “baseless allegation” by the Pakistan delegate during the debate on Tuesday, Eldos Mathew Punnoose, India’s Counsellor and Charge d’Affaires, described the 1971 sexual violence against women as “a matter of shameful record.”
Punnoose delivered his statement at the open debate on “Innovative Strategies to Ensure Access to Life-Saving Services and Protection for Survivors of Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones.”
“The utter impunity with which the Pakistan army committed heinous crimes of sexual violence against women in erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971 is a matter of shameful record,” he said, referring to the massacres and mass rapes in what is now Bangladesh.
“This deplorable pattern continues unabated and with impunity even today,” the diplomat added.
He pointed to ongoing issues such as abduction, trafficking, child and forced marriages, domestic servitude, sexual violence, and forced religious conversions targeting thousands of vulnerable women and girls, particularly in religious and ethnic minority communities. These, he said, are documented in recent OHCHR reports.
Punnoose criticized the perpetrators of these crimes, noting the “irony” of their current claims to be “champions of justice” and calling out the evident “duplicity and hypocrisy.”
His statement came in response to Pakistan’s claim that “sexual violence has long been deployed to punish and humiliate communities” in Kashmir.
“Perpetrators of heinous acts of conflict-related sexual violence must be condemned in the strongest terms and held accountable,” he said. “Sexual violence in conflict zones not only destroys individual lives but also tears apart the social fabric, leaving lasting scars on communities for generations.”
Punnoose referenced UNSC Resolution 2467 of 2019, emphasizing its role in advocating for victims’ access to relief, reparations, healthcare, psychosocial support, safe shelter, legal aid, and rehabilitation programs to help restore normalcy.
He highlighted India’s global contributions toward eliminating sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping, humanitarian, and development efforts, noting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the Circle of Leadership on the prevention of and response to sexual exploitation and abuse in UN operations.
On the domestic front, Punnoose outlined India’s comprehensive strategy for women’s safety, emphasizing that it could provide valuable insights for protecting survivors in conflict zones.
“India is ready to share its expertise and experience with interested Member States through our comprehensive training programs,” he concluded.
