Ershadi names main security issues threatening W Asian women

Zahra Ershadi, Iran's ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said at a Security Council meeting on women, peace, and security on Wednesday, local time, referring to the situation of women in West Asia, including Palestine: "Sexual violence is a crime. It is heinous and is often used as a tactic of war and terrorism."

"The main threats to women's security in the West Asian region include occupation, foreign aggression, and terrorism, threats that have no respect for women's rights and lives," she said.

She stated:  "The situation of Palestinian girls and women is a clear example of this."

"In armed conflicts, sexual violence disproportionately affects women and girls, as well as people in vulnerable situations, and women and girls are the main victims," ​​Ershadi said.

Ershadi added that armed conflict also increases the risk of human trafficking, which unfairly targets women and children fleeing war or being forcibly displaced.

The senior diplomat of the Islamic Republic of Iran stated: "In armed conflicts, international humanitarian law prohibits all forms of sexual abuse against women and provides protection for civilians, including women and girls."

In this regard, she pointed out that the four treaties of the Geneva Conventions and the two Additional Protocols explicitly and implicitly condemn various forms of sexual violence as a serious violation of humanitarian law in international and domestic conflicts.

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Ershadi stressed that preventing and combating this inhumane act requires collective efforts.

"However, the efforts will not be successful until the root causes, namely the circumstances surrounding the outbreak of an armed conflict, are addressed," she said.

Iran's Deputy Permanent  Representative to the United Nations has stated that ending all armed conflict is the most effective way to prevent such crimes.

She added: "Unfortunately, as long as terrorism, violent extremism, occupation and foreign intervention continue, such a solution will not be achieved."

The Iranian representative also referred to the situation of women in Afghanistan and said: "The current situation in Afghanistan has had a strong impact on the rights of Afghan women."

According to a recent UN report, she added that women and girls had been targeted as part of systematic and widespread violence in a concerted campaign to limit their participation in social and political life.

The Iranian representative stressed that Afghan women should enjoy their political and social rights, such as the right to education, work, and political participation.

Ershadi also stressed Iran's principled position that issues related to women and girls should be addressed by the General Assembly and other UN bodies. The Security Council should address these issues only if they address issues that directly would be relevant to international peace and security.