Ei-iE

Members of the Education International Executive Board denounced sexual and gender-based violence as a method of torture in wars and conflicts around the world. Marking the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, Education International leaders brought attention to victims in Ukraine, Sudan, and beyond and made a strong call for peace and justice.

Ukraine: Sexual violence as a weapon of war

“Violence in war is not just a personal tragedy. It is a weapon. It is a weapon aimed at humiliating, breaking and destroying not only an individual, but also entire communities and nations. In Ukraine, hundreds of women, children, and men have become victims of sexual violence. Sexual violence is used as a method of torture during Russian captivity. Victims of this horrific crime are often silent. But their pain does not disappear - it becomes a burden for future generations,” emphasised Olha Chabaniuk, member of the Education International Executive Board and Vice President of the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine.

The union leader noted that Ukraine was not fighting only for its territorial integrity, but for its human integrity and called for international solidarity to end the violence and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Sudan: Women and girls abducted and subjected to sexual violence

Marième Sakho Dansokho, Education International Vice-President for Africa, brought attention to the war in Sudan, a conflict largely ignored by the world, stressing that the war had killed more than 14,000 people and displaced 12 million. The United Nations reports that scores of women and girls, some as young as 12, have been abducted and subjected to sexual violence.

Sexual and gender-based violence are not weaponised only in Sudan and Ukraine. As the EI Vice President warned, “gender-based violence is rife in conflicts in the Central African Republic, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.”

“As teachers and unionists, we stand for peace and for human rights. We call for the protection of schools as safe sanctuaries. We stand with teachers everywhere who are essential to building a culture of peace in our communities and societies. Stand with us”, Sakho Dansokho concluded.