Eight Jewish women’s organizations organized a letter co-signed by 57 groups to urge the United Nations to take action in response to the systemic, gender-based violence perpetrated by Hamas as part of the terrorist group’s assault in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, along with the Hadassah Foundation, Dinah Project, I Believe Israeli Women Global Movement, International Council of Jewish Women, Israel Women’s Network, Jewish Women International and National Council of Jewish Women drafted the letter, which was sent on Monday to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.
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The correspondence called for the world body to take three actions, starting with declaring Hamas’s “documented systematic weaponization of sexual violence a crime against humanity” followed by “list Hamas in the Annex in 2025 Report of the Secretary-General on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence as a party credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict.”
The groups also urged for “all states to adopt an international protocol for responding to conflict-related sexual violence when it occurs.”
Co-signers of the letter included the Coalition for Jewish Values, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Jewish Federations of North America, Simon Wiesenthal Center, StandWithUs, Zioness Movement and Zionist Organization of America.
“Despite overwhelming evidence, U.N. leaders have not held Hamas accountable or taken decisive steps towards justice and accountability,” stated Carol Ann Schwartz, national president of Hadassah. “During this year’s ‘16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence,’ Hadassah and our partners call on the Secretary-General and other U.N. leaders to stand up and show that sexual violence against women and girls will never be tolerated or excused.”
Lilian Grinberg, president of the International Council of Jewish Women, stated that Hamas’s “horrific Oct. 7 attack is only part of a larger trend of increasing acts of conflict-based violence against women and girls across the world.” The letter noted a 50% increase in conflict-related sexual violence globally according to the April 2024 Report of The Secretary-General on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence.
Tal Hochman, director of Israel Women’s Network Executive, stated that “we call on the U.N. to establish a comprehensive international protocol and corresponding resolution to equip states with the tools to standardize evidence-gathering, streamline legal processes, and ease the burden of prosecuting these heinous crimes.”
Image via United Nations Photo via Flickr, Creative Commons