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India reminded the Council that Pakistan continues to persecute minority women through abductions, forced conversions, early marriages, trafficking, and other abuses
India’s Charge d’Affaires at the United Nations, Eldos Mathew Punnoos
India strongly rebuked Pakistan at the United Nations on Tuesday, accusing its military of a long and continuing history of sexual violence in conflict situations, dating back to the atrocities of 1971.
Speaking at the UN Security Council’s Open Debate on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, India’s Charge d’Affaires Eldos Mathew Punnoos said Islamabad’s “shameful record” began during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 and persists to this day.
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“The utter impunity with which the Pakistan army perpetrated heinous crimes of gross sexual violence against hundreds of thousands of women in erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971 is a matter of shameful record. This deplorable pattern continues unabated and with impunity to this day,” Punnoos said.
India reminded the Council that Pakistan, while currently serving as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, continues to persecute minority women through abductions, forced conversions, early marriages, trafficking, and other abuses.
Punnoos cited findings from recent UN human rights reports that have documented these violations.
“Rampant abduction, trafficking, child early and forced marriages and domestic servitude, sexual violence and forced religious conversions of thousands of vulnerable women and girls as weapons of persecution towards religious and ethnic minority communities are reported and chronicled, including in the recent OHCHR reports,” he noted, adding that Pakistan’s judiciary has often validated such crimes.
Calling out Islamabad’s “duplicity,” he said, “These reports highlight that its judiciary also validates the vile acts by Pakistan. It is ironic that those who perpetrate these crimes are now masquerading as champions of justice. The duplicity and hypocrisy are self-evident.”
Punnoos stressed that perpetrators must be held accountable and that support for survivors is critical.
“Perpetrators of heinous acts of conflict-related sexual violence must be condemned in the strongest possible terms and brought to justice. Sexual violence in conflict zones not only destroys individual lives but tears apart the very fabric of societies, leaving lasting scars on communities for generations,” he said.
The Indian envoy outlined a multi-pronged approach to combat sexual violence in conflict, emphasising survivor-centric mechanisms, accountability, and comprehensive rehabilitation.
He pointed to the importance of UNSC Resolution 2467 (2019), which calls for access to relief, reparations, medical and psychosocial support, legal aid, and reintegration of victims.
Highlighting India’s global and domestic contributions, Punnoos recalled that New Delhi was among the first to contribute to the UN Secretary-General’s Trust Fund for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.
He also noted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership role in UN initiatives on preventing sexual exploitation in peacekeeping operations.
India’s peacekeeping record was also cited, with Punnoos recalling the deployment of the world’s first all-women police unit to Liberia in 2007, and more recent female contingents in MONUSCO, UNICEF, and UNMAS missions.
Training programs in New Delhi now specialise in gender-sensitive peacekeeping and preventing conflict-related sexual violence.
At the domestic level, India has implemented wide-ranging safety and justice mechanisms for women, including the USD 1.2 billion Nirbhaya Fund, a nationwide emergency response system through 112, and Sakhi One Stop Centres at district headquarters offering shelter, legal aid, and medical assistance.
Fast-track courts and specialised training programs for investigators and medical officers are also part of the model India has developed to ensure swift and fair justice.
“As I conclude, allow me to once again reaffirm India’s unwavering commitment to root out sexual violence in armed conflict and support and assist survivors of such heinous crimes,” Punnoos said.
About the Author
Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to be…Read More
Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to be… Read More
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