Karama joins calls for an inclusive and intersectional convention on crimes against humanity
First session of Preparatory Committee for UN Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity. Photo: UN Photo/Loey Felipe
The Karama network has joined over 200 signatories calling for the proposed Convention on Crimes Against Humanity to properly address gender-based violence.
The call comes as the Preparatory Committee for UN Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity began two weeks of meetings in New York to discuss the draft articles of a convention on crimes against humanity.
Crimes against humanity are outlawed by the Rome Statute and by customary international law; however, unlike genocide and war crimes, there is no dedicated treaty requiring states to prevent and prosecute them. It is vital that the approach to developing this convention is inclusive, intersectional, and informed by survivors.
The statement makes specific recommendations under three headings:
Recognize all gender-based harms that meet the crimes-against-humanity threshold, by codifying crimes
Center victims and survivors in the convention:
Embed gender-competence across the convention’s content and process to promote equality and prevent discrimination, such as by ensuring: