New York, At a recent panel discussion hosted by Pakistan’s Mission to the UN, prominent speakers highlighted the pressing need for global action to alleviate the plight of women in conflict zones, particularly in occupied territories such as Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine. The event, part of the 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) at UN Headquarters, called for the uniform implementation of UN resolutions, treaties, and conventions to address the challenges women face under foreign occupation.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the panel included diplomats, academics, and representatives from women’s rights organizations and civil society. They collectively underscored the hardships endured by women, girls, and children in occupied regions. Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram initiated the conversation, with contributions from Algerian Ambassador Amar Bendjama, OIC Ambassador to the UN Hameed Ajibaiye Opeloyeru, Dr. Dalal Kanaan of Fordham University, and Dr. Ameena Zia of CUNY Lehman College.

The speakers demanded that UN reports and Security Council resolutions on women, peace, and security agendas explicitly address the situation of women and girls under foreign occupation. They advocated for a UN monitoring mechanism to document crimes and violations against these women and girls. Further, they called for establishing mechanisms within the UN framework to ensure accountability for sexual violence and other crimes committed by occupation forces.

The panel highlighted the urgent need for international human rights and humanitarian laws to be expanded to better protect women under foreign occupation. They proposed an additional Protocol to the Geneva Convention or a Security Council resolution to this effect. The speakers also urged accelerated humanitarian efforts to support women living under the Israeli occupation in Gaza.

Ambassador Akram emphasized the disproportionate suffering of women and girls in situations of foreign occupation, noting the specific impact of war, conflict, and violence on these vulnerable populations. He detailed violations including sexual attacks, arrest, denial of essential resources, and the destruction of homes. Ambassador Bendjama and Ambassador Opeloyeru echoed these concerns, calling for an end to the brutality faced by Palestinian and Kashmiri women and for the implementation of relevant UN resolutions.

Ms. Mushaal Mullick, Professor Ameena Zia, and Dr. Dalal Kanaan shared insights into the struggles of women in Kashmir and Palestine, highlighting the dire need for judicial mechanisms to hold violators of women’s rights accountable and for the incorporation of women and gender-based perspectives in policy-making and implementation.

This discussion marks a critical step towards bringing the issues faced by women in occupied territories to the forefront of international human rights and humanitarian agendas, underscoring the collective responsibility to protect and promote their rights.