London/Brussels: While highlighting the plight of Kashmiri women, speakers at COVID-19 Kashmir Women’s Conference here on Tuesday said that being vulnerable segment of the society the women have been worst victim of the long drawn conflict.
The Conference jointly organized by Kashmir Women’s Movement (KWM) and Organisation of Kashmir Coalition (OKC) via video link was attended by politicians, lawyers and human rights defenders, academics, jurists and experts hailing from different countries. Highlighting the dangerous dimensions of the long drawn conflict and its impact on the society, speakers said, “Kashmiri women and girls are exposed to poverty, powerlessness, ill health, physical and psychological trauma and they are vulnerable in becoming infected with Covid-19”,
The Conference expressed its serious concern over the plight of the de facto widows and half-widows the speakers said, “Womenfolk in Kashmir bore the brunt of state violence in multiple ways”.
A Joint Statement adopted at end of conference said, “It is disturbing that the Indian authorities are using the corona-virus pandemic as a cover to continue its brutal attacks on Kashmiri Society and to silence Kashmiri voices by eradicating Kashmiri leadership and destroying the fabric of civil society”.
Women and girls it said were bearing the brunt of this unlawful occupation in spite of the UN Secretary General’s call for a cease fire.
“As the world seeks to contain the spread of the Pandemic, India continues its attacks against the innocent people of Kashmir in breach of International Law”, the statement said adding that Women of Kashmir have grown up knowing too much, too fast about conflict, trauma, bombs and violence including rape and sexual torture.
“Thousands of Kashmiri women have been widowed in this conflict while over 20,000 are wives of the forcibly disappeared who we call half widows”, the statement said adding that not only have these women been subjected to violence by police but also by the occupation forces.
Referring to forcibly disappeared persons the statement further said, “India is signatory to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICCPED). Therefore, India is under international obligation to trace the disappeared. It must fulfil its obligations under international law”.
“Women of Kashmir and their sympathizers around the world shall undertake all possible measures to maintain the Jammu and Kashmir conflict at the highest level of the international agenda” , the joint statement said.
The participants of the conference unanimously demanded the global community to respond to the unconstitutional and unilateral course of action the government of India set in motion in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJK) since 5th August 2019.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir have been living under a severe lockdown regimen making life if not unbearable pressures on their lives at least extremely difficult”, they said adding that all the Kashmiri key leaders were arrested and continue to be held in confinement to-date. “Since 5th August 2019, nearly half a dozen women leaders including Asiya Andrabi, Fehmeeda Sofi and Naheeda Nasreen have been arrested and detained at Tihar jail, New Delhi.
Demanding immediate release of all illegally detained women activists they said that Indian government must stop persecution of Kashmiri women without any further delay.
“It is heartening that the UN Secretary General António Guterres has asked the Indian authorities to release these political prisoners and leaders”, they said adding that India should reciprocate the UN Secretary General’s call for release of all political prisoners.
The conference also urged the Organization of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) to take a more prominent lead in promoting greater engagement in order to protect all the human rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and help in resolving the conflict
Among others, who took part in the conference included: Dr Shireen Mazari – Federal Minister for Human Rights, Pakistan; Shamim Shawl – Permanent Representative to the United Nations, IMWU; and Chairperson of the Covid-19 Kashmir Women’s Conference; Julie Ward – Former Member of the European Parliament – A British Politician who served as member of the European Parliament for the North West England from 2014-2020; Barrister Margaret Owen (OBE) – Human Rights Lawyer and Founder of Widows For Peace through Democracy; Claire Bidwell – Co-Founder of “Let Kashmir Decide” and Human Rights Activist; Soraya Boyd – Founder & CEO of Facilitate Global; Maxine Bowler – Vice President of Sheffield Trade Union Council; Beatrice Grace Alouch Obado – Expert in Relations and Sustainable Development; Cecilia Maho – Lawyer and Human Rights Defender; Asma Rathore – President, KWM, Former Deputy Mayor of Luton; Frank Schwalba-Hoth – Founding Member of the German Greens and one of the first Green members of Parliament in Germany and in the European Parliament; Barrister A Majid Tramboo – Executive Member of Organisation of Kashmir Coalition (OKC) and IHRAAM Permanent Representative to the United Nations.