B4-0446 and 0452/95

Resolution on the rape of women in Rwanda

The European Parliament,

A.whereas, according to information received from independent organizations, thousands of Rwandan women and young girls were victims of systematic mass rape during the genocide between April and July 1994,

B.whereas the rapes have disastrous consequences for the victims: the risk of contracting AIDS, precarious medical conditions, the rejection of children and psychological traumas,

C.whereas in UN Resolution 808 of May 1993, the United Nations Security Council called systematic rape a crime against humanity,

1.Strongly condemns the sexual violence perpetrated against Rwandan women and girls;

2.Insists that the international community provide sufficient human and material resources for, and cooperate fully with, the UN Security Council ad hoc tribunal for Rwanda, set up on 8 November 1994, which is responsible for bringing to justice perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of humanitarian law committed since 1994;

3.Calls on the NGOs and humanitarian associations operating in the area to take whatever measures are necessary to assist the women who are victims of violence;

4.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the Rwandan Government and the UN Secretary-General.