To mark the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) calls on activists to stand up against impunity and ensure accountability for crimes against women. EMHRN’s Gender Working Group joint appeal comes in the wake of distressing accounts of violence against women, particularly targeting women human rights defenders in the Euro-Mediterranean Region.
The Gender Working Group recounts horrifying reports of female activists dying during peaceful protests in Egypt, mass killing of Palestinian women during the war on Gaza in 2014, and those enduring intolerable conditions in the protracted conflict in Syria. The Gender Working Group also rings the alarm on the plight of Iraqi women who are raped and sold as sex slaves.
The adoption of lenient legislation on violence against women in the public and private spheres, and subsequent killings of female lawyers, activists and journalists are just a few examples of this worrying trend.
We call on people all over the world to come together and fight against widespread impunity for grave violations of women’s rights. We must take action on the International Women’s Day (March 8) to ensure accountability and hold governments and perpetrators responsible.