INTERNATIONAL: Motion for Canada's Leadership on Ending Sexual Violence Introduced in House of Commons Today

The New Democratic Party of Canada introduced a motion to the House of Commons to make Canada a leader in ending sexual violence in conflict worldwide. The motion was announced today shortly after 3 pm in the House of Commons.

The motion put forth by NDP Member of Parliament Paul Dewar—and supported by all parties in the House—calls on the government to play a leadership role to end sexual violence and make perpetrators accountable. The motion also calls on Canada to support survivors of sexual violence both through development assistance and diplomatic effort.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo 48 women are raped every hour. In Honduras a woman is murdered every day, and sexual violence is common. In Burma, security forces continue to use rape as a weapon to tear apart communities and inflict terror. Rape and sexual violence are common in recent conflicts ranging from Syria and Libya to Mali and Colombia.

The motion is a result of action taken by supporters of The International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence, which launched in May with events around the world.

The International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict is a mass civil society effort to bring together organizations and individuals to work together to demand bold political leadership to prevent rape in conflict, to protect civilians and rape survivors, and call for justice for all—including effective prosecution of those responsible. http://stoprapeinconflict.org

Full text of the motion:

That this House condemns sexual violence in conflict and calls on the government to

(a) reaffirm Canada's commitment to implement United Nations Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security and Canada's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security;

(b) play a leadership role in international efforts to end sexual violence and bring about accountability, and support survivors of sexual violence in conflict through Canadian diplomacy and development assistance, and;

(c) support the efforts of organizations to draw attention to, and denounce, sexual violence.