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Lilly Freemyer
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NEW YORK, NY – Today 65 organizations led by Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, along with the Hadassah Foundation, the Dinah Project, I Believe Israeli Women Global Movement, International Council of Jewish Women, Israel Women’s Network, Jewish Women International, and National Council of Jewish Women spoke out strongly on the first day of the United Nations’ (UN) annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence to help deter future acts of gender-based violence in conflict by advancing justice and accountability.
These groups continue to be frustrated by the United Nations’ failure to use available tools to hold Hamas accountable for clearly documented, systemic, gender-based violence on October 7, 2023, and beyond.
In a letter to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten and United Nations Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous, the groups outlined three concrete steps the United Nations can take right now to address the dramatic 50 percent increase in conflict-related sexual violence worldwide documented in the Annual Report of the Secretary General of 2023. The groups asked the United Nations to declare Hamas’ documented systemic weaponization of sexual violence a crime against humanity, blacklist Hamas as a party credibly suspected as being responsible for patterns of rape and establish and encourage all nations to adopt an international protocol for responding to conflict-related sexual violence.
“It has been more than a year since Hamas brutally raped, sexually abused and mutilated Israeli women and girls,” said Hadassah National President Carol Ann Schwartz. “However, despite overwhelming evidence, UN leaders have not held Hamas accountable or taken decisive steps towards justice and accountability. During this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, Hadassah and our partners call on the Secretary General and other UN leaders to stand up and show that sexual violence against women and girls will never be tolerated or excused. Holding perpetrators accountable is critical to deterring future use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. As a global humanitarian organization, Hadassah remains committed to standing up for women everywhere.”
“Every international agency and organization, especially the United Nations, must do its part to ensure that sexual violence is not justified or excused,” said Hadassah Foundation Director Stephanie Blumenkranz. “This includes holding perpetrators accountable for their use of violence and taking appropriate action.”
“UN experts found evidence of Hamas’ acts of conflict-related sexual violence, including rape, torture and humiliation in several locations in the Gaza envelope,” said Dinah Project Co-Founder Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari. “It is time to take action to hold Hamas accountable and ensure that these crimes against humanity do not go unpunished.”
“Hamas’ horrific October 7 attack is only part of a larger trend of increasing acts of conflict-based violence against women and girls across the world,” said International Council of Jewish Women President Lilian Grinberg. “During these 16 days of action, dedicated to lifting up the voices of women and girls, the UN must prioritize holding Hamas terrorists accountable.”
“It is critical that we standardize the global response to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV),” said Israel Women’s Network Executive Director Tal Hochman. “Like other nations grappling with CRSV, the Israeli government needs clear guidance to address its devastating consequences and bring perpetrators to justice. We call on the UN to establish a comprehensive international protocol and corresponding resolution to equip states with the tools to standardize evidence-gathering, streamline legal processes, and ease the burden of prosecuting these heinous crimes.”
“There is abundant evidence that Hamas committed horrifying acts of sexual violence on October 7,” said Meredith Jacobs, CEO of Jewish Women International and co-founder of I Believe Israeli Women. “By failing to hold Hamas terrorists accountable for these acts, the UN is telling Israeli women and women across the globe that their lives do not matter—that there is a double standard being applied to Israeli women.”
“Rape is never a form of resistance. National Council of Jewish Women joins our partners in urging the United Nations and every country around the world to adopt policies that hold perpetrators of sexual violence — including Hamas — accountable. As Jewish organizations, we are committed to efforts to support survivors and uphold justice. We believe everyone must be able to live a life free of violence," said National Council of Jewish Women CEO Sheila Katz.
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