Pakistan Youth Conclave Model United Nations (PYCMUN)

Committee Study guide(UNWOMEN)

Introduction to the Committee (UN Women)

UN Women (the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women) works with governments, civil society, and
the UN to set standards and design policies, programmes, and
resolutions that promote gender equality. In this committee, delegates
will create policies and solutions to eliminate discrimination against
women, especially in marginalized communities and conflict zones, to
ensure protection, empowerment, and meaningful participation in
society.

Mandate of the Committee

UN Women is mandated to lead, promote and coordinate efforts to
advance the full realization of women’s rights and opportunities.
UN Women helps ensure effective UN action on the global, regional
and national levels and helps foster capacities to make achieving
gender equality essential to programmes and policies, advocate for
greater resources, and guide as well as create joint development
programmes.
UN Women supports measures upholding accountability for
commitments to women, and plays a central role in increasing
knowledge about women’s status in the United Nations.
Introduction to the Agenda
Discrimination Against Women in Marginalized and Conflict
Zones: South Asia, Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and
Gaza
Women in marginalized and conflict-zone settings face several,
intersecting forms of discrimination from legal and economic exclusion
to conflict-related sexual violence(CRSV), displacement, and lack of
humanitarian access. This agenda’s main focus is on identifying
region-specific challenges while exploring actionable and measurable
cross-regional solutions.

Definitions and key terms

1. Marginalized Women: ethnic minorities, refugees, widows,
women with disabilities, indigenous, LGBTQ+, rural poor.
2. CRSV (Conflict-Related Sexual Violence): rape, forced
marriage, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy.
3. Survivor-Centred: safety, dignity, confidentiality in all
responses regarding survivors of abuse or harassment.
4. Femicide: gender-motivated killing of women, recognized as a
distinct legal category in Latin America.
5. Structural Violence: discrimination embedded in laws,
institutions, and social practices that limit women’s life
opportunities.
6. Tokenism vs Meaningful Participation: where women are
included only for show and lack decision-making power in
reality.
Types of Discrimination Against Women
1. Legal Discrimination: Unequal laws on inheritance, marriage,
citizenship, or land ownership (e.g., Pakistan’s personal laws,
Nepal’s land rights).
2. Socio-Cultural Discrimination: Harmful traditions like honor
killings, child marriage, FGM, caste/religion-based exclusion.
3. Economic Discrimination: Wage gap, exclusion from labor
markets, lack of credit or land ownership.
4. Political Discrimination: Tokenistic participation, exclusion
from peace negotiations, harassment of women activists.
5. Conflict-Related Discrimination: CRSV, displacement, denial
of humanitarian aid, militarization of women’s bodies.

Historical Context & Background

● Legal Foundations:
CEDAW (1979) & Optional Protocol: international obligations to
eliminate discrimination.Beijing Declaration & Platform for
Action (1995): prioritizes women in conflict and violence against
women.
● Women, Peace & Security (WPS) Framework:
UNSCR 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions on
participation, protection, prevention, and recovery.
● Practice & Implementation:
Examples of good practice: survivor-centred GBV response,
women’s mediation networks, community-based protection.
Persistent gaps including impunity, underfunding, lack of
disaggregated data.
● Obligations Under IHL( International Humanitarian Law):
Civilians must be protected during hostilities. Health services,
aid access, and humanitarian supplies must not be obstructed.
Expanded Case Studies
● Afghan Taliban rule (1996–2001, 2021–present): Bans on
education, mobility, systematic erasure of women.
● Pakistan Hudood Ordinances (1979): Treated rape as zina
(adultery/fornication), requiring four male witnesses; though
amended (2006), discriminatory remnants still persist.
● India Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA): Grants
immunity to security forces in militarized regions, undermining
justice for CRSV victims.
● Bangladesh Child Marriage Restraint Act (2017): Allows
exceptions for marriage under 18 “with parental/guardian
consent,” ultimately legalizing child marriage.
● Nepal Citizenship Act: Prevents women from independently
passing nationality to children if the father is unknown/foreign.
● Somalia Penal Code (1960): Allows rapists to escape
punishment by marrying victims, draft Sexual Offenses Bill still
hasn't been passed.
● Nigeria (Northern States) Sharia Penal Codes: criminalizes
zina, disproportionately targeting women (including rape
survivors).
● Sudan Public Order Laws (until repeal in 2019): Criminalized
women’s dress/behavior and legacy effects continue today.
● Honduras & El Salvador: Absolute abortion bans, no exceptions
(even for rape or life-threatening cases).
● Guatemala: Civil Code provisions limit indigenous women’s land
ownership rights.
● Poland 2020 Constitutional Tribunal ruling: Imposes near-
total abortion ban.
 ● Israel (religious courts): Personal status laws (marriage/divorce
handled by rabbinical & Sharia courts) limit women’s autonomy;
Jewish women require a husband’s “get”, a religious divorce to
remarry.
● Russia: No federal law criminalizing domestic violence;
decriminalization of “first instance” DV cases (2017 law).

Key areas
South Asia
Afghanistan: Women face systemic exclusion under Taliban policies
(ban on secondary/tertiary education, restrictions on movement, loss
of work). CRSV and early marriage risks increased in displacement
settings.

Pakistan: Discriminatory personal laws, honour killings, and child

marriage still persist at alarming rates. In conflict-affected tribal areas,
women lack documentation and access to justice. Frequent flood-
related displacement exposes women to GBV risks.

India: Caste and religious minorities (Dalit, Muslim women) face

discrimination. In Kashmir and northeast India, women report sexual
violence in militarized zones.

Bangladesh: Rohingya refugee women (from Myanmar) in Cox’s Bazar

face trafficking, CRSV, and have limited access to reproductive health
services.

Nepal: Widows and women from rural/indigenous communities

experience land and inheritance discrimination, earthquake and
climate shocks adding on to this.
Africa
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): Among the world’s highest rates
of CRSV in armed conflict, often used by militaries and state forces.

South Sudan: Women and girls face mass displacement, CRSV, forced
marriage in exchange for survival, and food insecurity.

Somalia: Conflict, weak laws, and drought have heightened risks of

GBV, FGM, and child marriage.

Nigeria (Northeast): Boko Haram conflict has led to abductions, forced

marriage, and widespread CRSV.

Sudan (Darfur & post-2023 crisis): Mass displacement, CRSV,

destruction of services, and targeted violence against women activists.

Central African Republic (CAR): Conflict between armed groups

exposes women to high GBV risk and disrupted health services.

Latin America
Mexico: Very high rates of femicide (10+ women killed daily), lazk of
proper investigations and large displacements linked to organized
crime.

Honduras & El Salvador: Gang violence, forced displacement, and

high femicide rates. Women human rights defenders and protestors
are targeted heavily.
Guatemala: Indigenous women face inequality in land dispossession,
exclusion from justice, and high maternal mortality rates due to lack
of proper healthcare systems for women..

Brazil: Violence against Afro-descendant and favela women,

intersection of race, class, and gender.

Colombia: Years of armed conflict has led to heightened CRSV and

threats against women in reintegration or peacebuilding roles.

Eastern Europe
Ukraine: Conflict zone since 2014, got intensified after the 2022
invasion. High risks of CRSV(Conflict Related Sexual Violence),
displacement of women, trafficking along refugee routes, and
disrupted healthcare.

Russia (minority regions like Chechnya, Dagestan): Women face strict

cultural and religious restrictions, forced or child marriage, and
violence, with little to no state protection.

Moldova & Poland: Since it's a major refugee-hosting states for

Ukrainians, women face economic barriers, childcare shortages, and
risk of trafficking.

Bosnia & Herzegovina (legacy): CRSV survivors from the 1990s still
face stigma and lack support; an issue which requires accountability
debates.
Gaza (and Occupied Palestinian Territory)
Gaza Strip: Women are facing severe humanitarian restrictions
resulting in disrupted maternal healthcare, overcrowded shelters with
heightened GBV risks, food/water shortages. Female-headed
households are especially vulnerable.

West Bank: Checkpoints and settler violence restrict women’s mobility

and access to services restricting them.

Israel (contextual): Palestinian women within Israel face dual

discrimination (gender and ethnicity) and displacement risks are
heightened during further escalations.

Key Questions to ask yourself

1. How can survivor-centred GBV services be ensured in conflict
zones?
2. What mechanisms can protect humanitarian workers and
ensure aid access?
3. How can women be integrated meaningfully in peace
negotiations and recovery?
4. What role should states vs NGOs vs international organizations
play?
5. How should progress be measured?

Evidence & Data You Should Research

● Country laws on women’s rights and GBV.
● National WPS Action Plans.
● UN and NGO data on CRSV, displacement, and education gaps.
● Humanitarian access challenges.
● Funding flows and donor support.
Suggested moderated caucus topics
Flow of mods: Causes-Effects-Solutions
1. Impact of Discriminatory Laws and Social Norms.
2. Conflict and Militarization as Drivers of Gender-Based Violence.
3. Barriers to Humanitarian Access and Essential Services for
Women.
4. Exclusion of Women from Peace and Political Processes.
5. Strengthening Survivor-Centred Protection Mechanisms.
6. Economic Empowerment and Recovery for Displaced and
Female-Headed Households.

Bloc Positions (Suggestions)

1. Western Bloc (USA, EU, Canada): Emphasize humanitarian
access, sanctions on perpetrators, funding GBV relief programs.
2. Global South Bloc (South Asia, Africa, Latin America):
Highlight root causes like poverty, colonial legacies, patriarchy ,
sovereignty concerns, demand more funding.
3. Middle East / OIC Bloc: Balance cultural/religious framing,
focus on humanitarian relief in Gaza, Afghanistan, Sudan.
4. Eastern Europe Bloc: Prioritize refugee protection, anti-
trafficking, but divided on Russia/Ukraine.
5. Non-aligned/brics: India, China, Brazil, South Africa:
emphasize development & non-interference, criticize “Western
double standards”.

QARMA (Questions a Resolution Must Answer)

1. How will services reach women in marginalized zones?
2. How will women’s participation be guaranteed in decision-
making?
 3. How will progress be tracked and reported?
4. How will funding be secured and distributed transparently?
5. How will accountability be ensured without undermining aid
access?

References
International: CEDAW, Beijing Platform for Action, UNSCR 1325 and
successors.
Regional: Maputo Protocol (Africa), Belém do Pará (Americas),
Istanbul Convention (Europe), SAARC Trafficking Convention (South
Asia).
Operational: IASC GBV Guidelines, UNFPA clinical guidelines, OCHA
humanitarian access policie