Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 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

    Traffic Snarled Between Merritt, B.C., And Kamloops As Drivers Face Heavy Snow

    Traffic Snarled Between Merritt, B.C., And Kamloops As Drivers Face Heavy Snow
    An early dump of snow has turned British Columbia's Coquihalla Highway into a treacherous trek, especially for drivers unprepared for the weather.

    Traffic Snarled Between Merritt, B.C., And Kamloops As Drivers Face Heavy Snow

    Inquest Announced Into Death Of Man Who Fell During Ambulance Ride To Hospital

    Inquest Announced Into Death Of Man Who Fell During Ambulance Ride To Hospital
    VICTORIA — The BC Coroners Service is launching an inquest into the death of a 36-year-old man who fell while being taken by ambulance to hospital in Quesnel, B.C.

    Inquest Announced Into Death Of Man Who Fell During Ambulance Ride To Hospital

    Toronto Doctor Had Sex With Teen Girl In Hospital Office, Police Allege

    Toronto Doctor Had Sex With Teen Girl In Hospital Office, Police Allege
    TORONTO — Police say a doctor — who allegedly paid to have unprotected sex with a 15-year-old girl in his office at a Toronto hospital — is facing multiple charges.

    Toronto Doctor Had Sex With Teen Girl In Hospital Office, Police Allege

    Acquittal Upheld For Teacher Who Secretly Videoed Female Students' Breasts

    Acquittal Upheld For Teacher Who Secretly Videoed Female Students' Breasts
    A high school teacher who used a camera pen to secretly video female students' chest areas did so for sexual purposes, but his acquittal on voyeurism charges will nevertheless stand, Ontario's top court ruled in a split decision on Thursday.

    Acquittal Upheld For Teacher Who Secretly Videoed Female Students' Breasts

    Dan Kamenicky, Winnipeg Magician, Gets Jail Time For Making, Distributing Child Porn

    Dan Kamenicky, Winnipeg Magician, Gets Jail Time For Making, Distributing Child Porn
    A Winnipeg man who worked as a children’s entertainer doing magic shows has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges.

    Dan Kamenicky, Winnipeg Magician, Gets Jail Time For Making, Distributing Child Porn

    Toronto Family Seeks Compensation For Trashed Home In 'Horrific' Rental-Gone-Wrong

    Toronto Family Seeks Compensation For Trashed Home In 'Horrific' Rental-Gone-Wrong
    Thieves made off with a 50-inch TV, treasured family heirlooms and a carefully curated sneaker collection, but it's their son's plundered piggy bank that really upsets Daniel Habashi and Andrea Van Leeuwen.

    Toronto Family Seeks Compensation For Trashed Home In 'Horrific' Rental-Gone-Wrong