India’s disgraceful record since 1971: sexual violence at the UN causes Pakistan to be humiliated

India reminded its neighbor of its own “deplorable” history of crimes against women when it criticized Pakistan at the UN after Islamabad claimed that women in Jammu and Kashmir were the targets of sexual violence.

Eldos Mathew Punnoos, an Indian ambassador, explicitly stated that Pakistan has no moral authority to teach others during Tuesday’s open discussion on conflict-related sexual abuse at the UN Security Council.

“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,” said Punnoos, India’s Charge d’Affaires at the UN.

He went on to say that forced marriage, religious conversion, trafficking, and kidnapping of women and children still occur among Pakistan’s minority populations. Punnoos noted that the nation’s judiciary also supports these crimes against women.

Ironically, individuals who commit these atrocities are now disguising themselves as advocates for justice. “The hypocrisy and duplicity are obvious,” he said.

A 2024 report from the Sustainable Social Development Organization states that 500 “dishonour” killings, 5,000 rapes, and over 24,000 kidnappings and abductions occurred in Pakistan last year. Hindu minority females who were coerced into marriage and religious conversion made up a large number of the victims in the province of Sindh.

Conviction rates, however, are still pitifully low at less than 2%.

Punnoos emphasized that survivors require all-encompassing support, from medical attention to legal assistance, while demanding accountability. “Perpetrators of heinous acts of conflict-related sexual violence must be condemned in the strongest possible terms and brought to justice,” he stated.

The ambassador also emphasized India’s own initiatives to combat gender-based violence in international peacekeeping operations as well as domestically. He said that India signed a voluntary agreement with the UN in 2017 to end sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping and was one of the first nations to make contributions to the UN Secretary-General’s Trust Fund for victims of such crimes.

India joined the leadership group on avoiding sexual exploitation in UN operations under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Punnoos noted that India still sends female contingents to UN missions and sent the first all-female police force to Liberia in 2007.

“Very successful in connecting with local communities and addressing gender-sensitive issues,” he added of these teams.

According to Punnoos, India has established specific mechanisms to safeguard women at home, such as the $1.2 billion Nirbhaya Fund for women’s protection, a national emergency response number (112), and Sakhi One Stop Centers that provide district-by-district police, medical, and legal assistance.

“India has put in place a thorough domestic policy to ensure the safety of women. He informed the UNSC that it might provide information on how to guarantee survivors in conflict situations have access to life-saving care and protection.