TORONTO, Dec. 11, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadian Hadassah-WIZO (CHW) calls for action and an urgent response from women’s organizations around the world concerning the ruthless sexual violence against Israeli women and girls that took place since October 7, 2023.
Women’s organizations worldwide have adopted a policy of silence and indifference, remaining quiet in the face of the brutally raped, abused, mutilated, murdered, and kidnapped Israel women and girls. These are the same organizations that speak out against gender-based violence around the world calling for the elimination of violence, but not when the victims are Jews.
It took 57 days for the UN Women and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women to denounce the atrocities and brutal rapes against Israeli women and girls and their tweet was too little too late.
CHW is demanding immediate action from the Canadian government to call for the resignation of the head of the UN Women for their lack of response to these inhumane crimes, which are a clear violation of international law. The UN Women needs to be held accountable and is responsible to advocate for all women’s rights even if victims are Jewish and Israeli.
“CHW has been advocating for women’s rights for over a hundred years,” said Lisa Colt-Kotler, CHW CEO. “Our mission is to empower women and children, so we cannot sit idly by while the violence against women and children in Israel is ignored by the world. We must take a stand and do everything in our power to shine a light on these human rights violations and call out international organizations who have remained silent. To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, CHW held a successful crowdfunding campaign, raising over $218,000 to provide medical and psychological support of Israeli women and girls.”
The violence against Israel women and girls did not end on October 7. At-risk women are now facing a wave of domestic abuse and fear for their lives due to relaxed gun licensing during war time. Many Israel women’s organizations believe the ongoing war will lead to a similar situation observed in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic led to a 315% increase in domestic violence cases.
We need to act now. Now is not the time to be silent.
For additional information or media inquiries, please contact the CHW National Office at info@chw.ca or 1-855-477-5964.
About Canadian Hadassah-WIZO (CHW): Established in 1917 by visionary Jewish women, CHW (Canadian Hadassah-WIZO) is a non-political, non-partisan national network of dedicated volunteers. CHW firmly believes in the advancement of education, healthcare, and social services, transcending politics, religion, and national boundaries. To learn more about CHW, please visit www.chw.ca.
