2009 Annual Report
Women Bearing Witness
This past year, Inter Pares staff member Rebecca Wolsak testified before the Canadian Senate’s Standing Committee on Human Rights, which was conducting a study on Canada’s implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820. These resolutions address the impact of war on women and the importance of including women in peace building processes, and condemn the use of rape as a weapon of war, categorizing it as a crime against humanity. In Burma, as in many other regions affected by armed conflict, sexual violence is used to terrorize communities and destroy the social fabric. Rebecca spoke about the work of the Women's League of Burma (WLB) and its member organizations documenting the use of rape by the Burmese military and providing support to women survivors.
Rebecca's testimony focused on the impunity that continues to exist for these crimes, and the need for the international community – including the Canadian government and the UN – to use international mechanisms to enforce the provisions of Resolutions 1325 and 1820. She spoke of the need for comprehensive, long-term, and grassroots initiatives which promote women’s full autonomy and control over their lives.
In Guatemala, where rape was also used pervasively during the armed conflict, Inter Pares counterparts have been working with women survivors towards these same goals. In addition to appealing to national and international mechanisms to seek justice for crimes of sexual violence, women's organizations are working with survivors to define their own concepts of justice.
The National Union of Guatemalan Women (UNAMG), the Community Studies and Psychosocial Action Team (ECAP), and Agents for Change organized a Tribunal of Conscience this year where survivors of sexual violence testified before judges about their experiences. The Tribunal offered an alternative to the formal justice that has been so elusive, but was conducted according to the standards of a court of law so that the testimony collected and judgments made can be used in future legal cases. The Tribunal was a historic moment that made public the experiences of women during the war and increased pressure on the state to fulfill its obligations to provide justice and reparations.
Read Rebecca’s testimony before the Senate Committee on Human Rights.
| Reviewed April 27, 2010 |  |
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