The UN resident coordinator had issued a statement on Sunday stressing that she is profoundly “saddened and concerned” at the continuing cases of sexual violence against women and girls in India.
United Nation’s Resident Coordinator Renata Lok-Dessallien was slammed by India over her remarks on Hathras and Balarampur cases. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) called the comments “unwarranted” and advised that since the investigations are still underway, “unnecessary comments by an external agency are best avoided.”
“UN Resident Coordinator in India should be aware that these cases have been taken extremely seriously by the government,” the MEA said in a strongly worded statement, adding that “Constitution guarantees equality to all citizens of India. As a democracy, we have a time-tested record of providing justice to all sections of our society.”
The UN resident coordinator had issued a statement on Sunday stressing that she is profoundly “saddened and concerned” at the continuing cases of sexual violence against women and girls in India.
“Steps being taken by the Government of India to strengthen safety measures for women and girls are welcome and urgent,” the statement read, adding “we support the Prime Minister’s call for strict action against the culprits”. “But entrenched social norms and behaviour of men and boys that lead to gender-based violence must be addressed,” it read.
“The recent cases of alleged rape and murder in Hathras and Balrampur are another reminder that despite the impressive progress made on a number of social indicators, women and girls from disadvantaged social groups face additional vulnerabilities and are at greater risk of gender-based violence,” she said.
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