Close X
Friday, November 1, 2024
ADVT 
National

WATCH: In Vancouver Angelina Jolie Urges Un To Renew Efforts To Stop Sexual Violence In War

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 16 Nov, 2017 12:40 PM

    VANCOUVER — Angelina Jolie delivered a stinging rebuke Wednesday of global efforts to stop the use of sexual violence in war and called on the UN to finally help turn the tide.

     

    The Academy Award-winning actress was addressing foreign dignitaries and military officials attending the two-day United Nations peacekeeping summit, where the role of women in preventing conflict figured prominently.

     

    The meeting also saw a renewed push to prevent the use of child soldiers and better protect children caught in conflict, as attendees unveiled a series of commitments signed by 53 countries.

     

    Canada played a key role in advancing both conversations as host of the meeting and by pledging $21 million to increase the number and role of women in peacekeeping missions and military operations.

     

    The pledge was made amid a growing recognition that female personnel are essential when it comes to many peacekeeping tasks, such as helping victims of sexual violence and interacting with local women in the field.

     

     

    It also coincides with ongoing concerns about peacekeepers themselves sexually abusing or exploiting the very populations they have been ordered to protect.

     

    Yet only 7 per cent of the 13,000 police officers deployed as peacekeepers and two per cent of the 87,000 military personnel are women, and those numbers have remained stagnant despite promises to double them.

     

    During her address, Jolie, who is also a special envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, listed the many promises, laws and resolutions that have failed to eliminate sexual violence from war.

     

    And she didn't pull any punches as she blasted the UN's failure to increase the number of female peacekeepers deployed on missions, or its efforts to stop peacekeepers from sexually abusing vulnerable populations.

     

    "It has 21 years since the UN first promised to address sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers and to increase the number of women deployed in operations," she said.

     

    "Yet the exploitation of defenceless civilians still takes place. And still less than four per cent of all peacekeepers are women."

     

    But there was also an acknowledgment that a cultural shift is afoot, with Jolie saying that many military leaders have started "to address the taboos around these issues and to take action."

     

    Canada along with the United Kingdom and Bangladesh were singled out for special mention for promising to work together to increase the number of women and better incorporate gender perspectives in their militaries.

     
     

    That initiative was only one of several unveiled by the Trudeau government on Wednesday, along with a pledge of $21 million to boost the number of women in peacekeeping operations around the world.

     

    The money included $6 million to help with reforms at the UN and $15 million for a new trust fund that will be used to help countries increase the number of women in their respective militaries.

     

    The money could be used to facilitate partnerships with other countries that already boast sizable female contingents, and provide incentives to increase the deployment of women into the field.

     

    Several European countries also pledged to dramatically increase the number of female soldiers and police officers assigned to peacekeeping missions.

     

    "I hope they are just the beginning," Jolie said. "We will not only strengthen our societies and improve peacekeeping."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    London, Ont. Baby Girl Suffered Multiple Organ Failure After Hot Tub Birth: Case Study

    London, Ont. Baby Girl Suffered Multiple Organ Failure After Hot Tub Birth: Case Study
    LONDON, Ont. — A team of doctors says the case of a baby girl who went into multiple organ failure after being born underwater in a hot tub highlights the risks of such births.

    London, Ont. Baby Girl Suffered Multiple Organ Failure After Hot Tub Birth: Case Study

    Man Accused Of Killing Parents, Sister, 'Couldn't Fathom' Why They Were Targeted

    Man Accused Of Killing Parents, Sister, 'Couldn't Fathom' Why They Were Targeted
    RED DEER, Alta. — A central Alberta man accused of killing his parents and his sister told police he couldn't understand why anyone would harm them.

    Man Accused Of Killing Parents, Sister, 'Couldn't Fathom' Why They Were Targeted

    Young Vancouver Woman Charged In West End Homicide

    Young Vancouver Woman Charged In West End Homicide
    Second degree murder charges have approved against 20-year-old Brooklyn Golar from Vancouver, in relation to the October 13, 2017 murder of Marline Mars, a 34-year-old Vancouver resident. 

    Young Vancouver Woman Charged In West End Homicide

    Laura Babcock Killed For Being Odd Woman Out In Love Triangle, Court Hears

    Laura Babcock Killed For Being Odd Woman Out In Love Triangle, Court Hears
    A Toronto woman who vanished five years ago was murdered — and her remains burned — for being the odd woman out in a love triangle, court heard Monday.

    Laura Babcock Killed For Being Odd Woman Out In Love Triangle, Court Hears

    Fraud Suspect Targets Elderly: Delta Police Secure Charges And Seek Other Victims

    Initially the suspect approached the elderly female in the lobby of her apartment located in the 7600 blk of 119 A Street in North Delta. The reported offences took place over several months during 2015.

    Fraud Suspect Targets Elderly: Delta Police Secure Charges And Seek Other Victims

    Company That Runs River Rock Casino Says It Follows Rules On Money Laundering

    Company That Runs River Rock Casino Says It Follows Rules On Money Laundering
    Rod N. Baker says the Great Canadian Gaming Corp. has a "culture of integrity and transparency" and is committed to preventing illegal activities at all of its locations, including the River Rock Casino in Richmond.

    Company That Runs River Rock Casino Says It Follows Rules On Money Laundering