Bangladesh High Commission in London has welcomed the statement Baroness Pola Uddin made at the House of Lords on Jun 16 on the 1971 War of Independence.
The foreign ministry in a media statement said on Thursday the Bangladeshi-born British politician and community activist spoke about Bangladesh’s victims of sexual violence during the war.
She referred to 300,000 Bengali victims of sexual violence in 1971 and raised the question as to whether “there is any room to create a constructive provision of support and resources for the survivors of past atrocities and conflicts”.
The foreign ministry said she was speaking with reference to the ‘Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict’ ended in London on Jun 13.
In reply to her question, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Senior Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, acknowledged this “as an important issue and recalled Baroness Uddin’s campaign in this regard”.
The Pakistani-born Warsi said supporting victims of sexual violence was “a priority for the Summit and assured that the commitment made at the Global Summit included supporting victims of the past”.
Bangladesh signed the declaration of ‘Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict’ and, particularly in this backdrop, supported the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI).
Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali attended the summit and during his speech he paid tribute to those victims who faced sexual violence by the Pakistani occupational forces and their collaborators in 1971, drawing global attention.
Source: Bd news24
