This panel takes post-atrocity resilience not as an individual feature but as the consequence of various social, economic, and political structures on individuals. It aims to garner panelists' views on identifying the mechanisms which either support or harm the resilience of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
The queer experience of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes is not new. From the Holocaust to the anti-gay purges in Chechnya, LGBTQI communities have been deliberately targeted by widespread, systematic campaigns that can be described as atrocity crimes. The (re)imposition or intensification of heteronormative, patriarchal power structures through legislation and culture come before regimes of widespread human rights violations. At the same time, prevailing heteronormative approaches to reducing conflict and instability, and in preventing atrocity crimes – even when LGBTQI communities are themselves at risk – continues to leave LBGTQI people excluded from human rights and violence prevention architecture. This roundtable will discuss the challenges facing the efforts to prevent mass atrocities while including communities often at the greatest risk, including whether the tools, approaches, and policies are fit for purpose. Speakers will address the provisional findings of Protection Approaches’ new paper ‘Queering Atrocity Prevention’ and ask questions of what it means to address the existing blind spots in the field and identify ways to recognize the importance of centering the individual in atrocity prevention, mitigation, and recovery.
PANELIST(S):
Kate Ferguson, Protection Approaches (Panelist)
Jean Freedburg, Human Rights Campaign (Panelist)
Detmer Kremer, Protection Approaches (Panelist)
Neela Ghoshal, OutRight Action International (Panelist)
Savita Pawnday, Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (Panelist)
The Transitional Justice Institute (TJI) at Ulster University in collaboration with the Unit for Global Justice at Goldsmiths University and the Emergent Justice Collective (EJC)
Operationalising intersectionality requires considering the constraints and opportunities of the systems and institutions involved.
It is crucial to address power relations and cooperation between the different actors to improve access to justice for collectivities.
In December 2021 the United States hosted a virtual Summit for Democracy, bringing together leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector to discuss challenges and opportunities facing democracies and to make commitments to defend democracy and human rights at home and abroad. The Summit kicked off a year of action and opportunities for engagement, which will culminate with a second, in-person Summit to showcase progress and plan a path forward.
During this year of action, the Global Justice Center and Fòs Feminista are hosting a series of events highlighting the ways in which governments' commitments to advancing the sexual and reproductive health and rights of people all around the globe is a key indicator of the strength and health of vibrant democracies that respect the human rights of all people. This panel is the second in the series and will take place during the 66th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), with the priority theme of achieving gender equality in the context of climate change.
The panel will highlight connections between current global challenges, including climate change, conflict, and the rise of authoritarianism, and the role of sexual and reproductive health and rights. It will provide an opportunity to hear from leading experts on the role of sexual and reproductive rights in democracies, the relationship between authoritarian governments and control of bodily autonomy, challenges facing the international human rights framework and multilateral spaces including the United Nations, the anti-rights Geneva Consensus Declaration, shifting the conversation on climate policies, and how states can realize their commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights at home and abroad.
