A new step against sexual violence in Northeast India

An ethnic armed group from Manipur, Northeast India, the Kuki National Organization (KNO), affirmed its policy to strictly prohibit and punish any act of sexual violence perpetrated by its members. It made its commitment concrete by signing Geneva Call’s Deed of Commitment prohibiting sexual violence and against gender discrimination on 22 March 2015.

This signature must be considered as a preventive as well as an exemplary measure in a country where acts of sexual violence are unfortunately common. In 2013 alone, 33,707 cases of rape against women, which is only one form of sexual violence, were reported in India’s National Crime Records Bureau.

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The Polisario Front destroys stockpiles of anti-personnel mines

On 30 March 2015, the Polisario Front destroyed a stockpile of anti-personnel (AP) mines in Tifariti, Western Sahara. The total number of destroyed AP mines still has to be confirmed. This is the fifth destruction since the Polisario Front decided to ban this weapon in 2005 by signing Geneva Call’s Deed of Commitment banning AP mines. Since 2005, the Polisario Front has destroyed more than 10,000 of such stockpiled weapons.

According to the Landmine Monitor, there had been some 2,500 casualties of AP mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) since 1975 and, in 2013, 23 new casualties were reported.

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The city of Geneva praised Geneva Call and TRIAL

Humanitarian agreement between the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP on anti-personnel landmines

Geneva Call welcomes the humanitarian agreement between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC–EP) “on the cleaning and decontamination of the territory of the presence of antipersonnel mines […], improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnance (UXO), or explosive remnants of war (ERW) in general.” This agreement was concluded on 7^th March 2015 in Havana, Cuba.