International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict is being observed on Friday.

The aim of observing the day is to raise awareness of the need to put an end to conflict-related sexual violence, to honour the victims and survivors of sexual violence around the world and to pay tribute to all those who have courageously devoted their lives to and lost their lives in standing up for the eradication of these crimes.

In his message on this day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said we stand in solidarity with survivors and vow to listen to them and act on their experiences and decisions.

As the world marks this day, the women and children in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir continue to face the horrors of rape and sexual abuse by Indian forces.

Even amid the COVID-19 lockdown, 16 rape cases and 64 incidents of molestations were reported from Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

In a statement, US-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch said the Kashmir conflict has been characterized by large scale incidents of sexual violence by Indian security forces, who use rape as a method of retaliation against Kashmiri women.

Recent reports by UN and other agencies indicate that Indian forces in Kashmir often target women to demoralize its people who are demanding an end to the Indian occupation. The reports point out that the frequent rape of Kashmiri women by Indian state security forces routinely goes unpunished.

In her tweet message on the eve of this Day, Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said that what India is doing in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir needs strong condemnation from all the countries and organizations of the globe.

She said the Occupation Indian forces have used rape as a weapon of war in held Kashmir and Modi's Hindutva Supremacist government continues carrying out this crime.