Justic Teresa Doherty
“We are not the Spoils of War”
Hon. Justice Teresa, a member of SI Bangor & District, is an international human rights lawyer who has worked in many countries including Sierra Leone. She took a walk through the history of women in war, telling delegates how women were an illustration of the victor’s complete submission of the vanquished; the Saracens even made it clear that while a male prisoner could be returned, a woman could not, they were ‘legitimate bounty’. Through the ages since, many attempts have been made to protect women in war situations, but even after the Geneva Convention, the wording was unclear on the integrity of the woman.
In recent wars, even with a statute of crimes, there have been few prosecutions for crimes against women. A landmark victory came when a man was being tried for genocide in Rwanda and the court heard about his rape of an eight year old girl. He was subsequently tried and convicted – but the battle for women’s safety continues.
Grainne Teggart
Grainne Teggart, Amnesty International is the Northern Ireland Campaigner for this organisation which aims to protect individuals wherever fairness is denied. Grainne explained what areas their campaigning covers and she highlighted the plight of those involved in human trafficking, which has many manifestations including prostitution, forced labour, exploitation of children.
She said that we need to understand the root causes of the victims’ troubles; poverty, unemployment, discrimination etc that lead them to seek a way to emigrate, making them very vulnerable and putting them at risk from trafficking.
In Northern Ireland, the principal organised crime gangs tend to be from China and Eastern Europe – and known cases are just the tip of the iceberg. The problems increase every day and it is clear that local individuals and organisations are facilitating the activities of these traffickers.