Connect with us

Frontpage

International Conscience Movement calls for release of Syrian women and children

SHARE:

Published

on

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

A major conference has been held in Istanbul, Turkey by the International Conscience Movement, an NGO who's aim is to attention to the suffering of women who are being tortured, raped, executed, imprisoned and made refugees since the beginning of the war in Syria.

Their aim is to make advocacy and initiate diplomatic attempts to release all female prisoners unlawfully held in Syria, and to invite all humanity to take effective measures to protect women and girls in conflict and war.

Over 90 delegates from 45 countries were present to listen to strong testimony from Syrian women who have had first hand experience of torture and imprisonment at the hands of the Syrian regime.

Messages of support were received from politicians, human rights organisations, NGOs and individuals from over 110 countries.

The International Conscience Movement launched a message to the world, which says:

“We, as the human family, are repeatedly warned in all religious and moral texts in order not to fight, or in the case of war put on notice to respect human, moral and legal rules. However, at the present time, even if almost all of the states are a party to international conventions, crimes against humanity continue to be committed in the war geographies, which are becoming more and more violent and pushing the limits of reason. And we can neither punish those who commit these crimes, nor can we stop these cruel practices. We all know that history of humanity is full of bloody battles.

Advertisement

When we look at every hundred years of the last 7000 years of world history, only 13 years have lived in peace. We failed to prevent wars, but unfortunately we always managed to die and kill the masses! We know that people around the world have suffered a lot, and continue to do so. The two world wars of the last century are the wars that are mentioned today with great sadness and held up as an example. In these battles, millions of people died in every colour from all over the world. However, each of the taken lives was just as precious as our very own lives, and each one’s dreams were as colourful and rich as our dreams.

Their loved ones were dear as much as our beloved ones. Numerous war crimes have been committed in these wars. Almost every house, every street, every mosque, every church, every synagogue prayed to never ever suffer again; but neither the battles are over nor the suffering… Another brutal war that the world has seen began in March 2011 in SYRIA. During the Syrian war, we witnessed many war crimes and crimes against humanity accompanied by live broadcasts and we continue to be: We watched the children who have been killed by prohibited chemical and biological weapons, barrel bombs and who died in agony.

Torture, rape, executions, mass killings, mass graves, deportation of millions of people and many persecutions… According to official records, more than 450,000 people died during the war in Syria. The number of unrecorded deaths and losses is unknown. Up until today, over 13,500 women have been sentenced and over 7,000 women are still tortured, raped every day in these prisons and exposed to inhumane oppression. The Syrian regime has used rape as a weapon and continues to use it. The number of people held in buildings empty factory, hangar etc. used as prisons is unknown. Some women were taken while pregnant and gave birth in places where they were held; some women were imprisoned with their children…

Some women have been raped repeatedly where they have been held and forced to give birth to children who were the result of rape. The UN Independent International Syrian Research Commission noted that fewer cases of sexual violence were reported for reasons such as stigmatization and trauma. The relevant international conventions, in particular the Geneva Conventions, have introduced regulations for the non-destruction of the civilian population and the prevention of human rights violations in the conditions of war. The 4th of the Geneva Conventions are organized specifically for the rights of the civilian population. Basically, in this context, “Everyone is entitled to enjoyment of the basic legal guarantees. No one can be held responsible for a crime he has not committed. No one shall be subjected to physical and psychological torture, to corporal punishment, or to indignity or degrading treatment. The conflicting parties and armed forces do not have an unlimited choice of methods and means of war. It is forbidden to use combat vehicles and methods that will lead to unlimited, excessive pain and unnecessary losses. The conflicting parties will always differentiate between the civilian population and the fighters in order to protect the civilian population; neither the civilian population nor the civilians would be the target of the attack.”

Because we are human! In addition, the Geneva Conventions regulated specifically the protection of women: • Women will be subject to special respect and will be protected more particularly against rape, forced prostitution and all other kinds of immoral attacks. • The conditions of pregnant women and mothers with dependent children, who are arrested or detained in respect of armed conflict, shall be evaluated in maximum. • The parties, in maximum, shall endeavour to refrain from obeying the death penalty for pregnant women or women with dependent children due to an offense of conflict. Death penalty for such crimes will not be performed on women having these characteristics.

 Also according to the four Geneva Conventions of Common Article 3. “High Contracting Parties in the case of conflict, an armed non-international character occurring in the territory, each of the parties to the conflict shall at least be obliged to apply the following provisions: Persons, including the armed forces who left their weapons and non-combatant ones because of illness, injury, arrest or any other reason, who do not take an active part in collisions will be treated in all conditions without discrimination according to race, colour, religion and belief, gender, birth or wealth or a similar criterion. For this purpose, the persons mentioned above shall be prohibited to do the following treatments anywhere and by any means: a) violence against life and person; in particular all kinds of killing, cruel behaviour and torture b) Hostage c) Infringement upon personal dignity, especially humiliating and degrading behaviour d) Penalization and execution of penalties without a regular court decision, which provides all judicial guarantees accepted as indispensable by civilized nations International conventions, states that must effectively implement these conventions, international jurisdiction mechanisms and all components of the international community recognize that people are under guard of these basic principles and public conscience even in cases that are not regulated by the legal rules.

The protection of human life and dignity is a fundamental principle. We believe that the effect of the law and the manifestation of justice can only be possible if the action of PUBLIC CONSCIENCE and SENSE OF HUMANITY is activated. We all know that PEACE is the most BENEFICIAL for all people. But it is not as easy as war to build peace. Nevertheless, we want a law for war too, to prevent the brutality. BECAUSE we’re HUMAN and we want to do befitting a human being. We say war must have law, have morality. Whether it is an international war or a local war or conflict, the above is a war crime, and everyone responsible for it must be prosecuted and accounted for not only the victims but also the whole human family. Who we are?

WE are silent scream rising from the Syrian dungeons. We are sense of humanity. We are the believers of that people, regardless of their religion, language, race, colour, must live in a dignified and humane way without being tortured and persecuted. We are the prayers and words that rise from the hearts and lips of all the people on earth, for the freedom of every women and children prisoners who are cruelly incarcerated in the Syrian war. WE, for all of us, believe that a just world where human rights are protected can only be possible with the freedom of Syrian women and children.

And WE ARE RIGHT NOW! WE WANT FREEDOM FOR IMPRISONED WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN SYRIA"

 

Share this article:

EU Reporter publishes articles from a variety of outside sources which express a wide range of viewpoints. The positions taken in these articles are not necessarily those of EU Reporter.

Trending