CSW
Commission on the Status of Women
Topic A: Evaluating Gender Apartheid as a Crime Against Humanity
The term “gender apartheid” describes a system of deliberate and institutionalized discrimination that separates women and girls from public life and denies them fundamental rights based on gender. It has increasingly been used to describe conditions in which authorities restrict female access to education, employment, healthcare, political participation, and public spaces through the coordinated enforcement of discriminatory laws. Although gender apartheid is not currently listed as a separate crime against humanity in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, supporters of the term argue that existing international law does not adequately capture the organized nature or full severity of such systems. Some conduct may already fall under persecution or other recognized international crimes, but those categories carry specific legal requirements. This topic aims to answer legal questions about the definition, evidence, and jurisdiction of gender apartheid, as well as the broader implications of formally recognizing systematic gender-based domination as an international crime.
Topic B: Remedying Incidences of Gender-Based Violence in Conflict Areas
Armed conflict increases the risk of gender-based violence by weakening prosecution systems, displacing communities, and allowing armed actors to exact abuse with virtually zero accountability. Sexual violence, forced marriage, trafficking, and other abuses targeting people because of their gender may be committed by state forces, militias, criminal groups, peacekeepers, or even other civilians. These abuses are often used deliberately to terrorize communities, punish political opponents, or alter the ethnic composition of contested areas. Survivors frequently face barriers to accessing support like medical care or legal assistance, especially when governing infrastructure is destroyed. A fear of retaliation and or social stigma can also prevent incidents from being reported, even when fighting ends. Delegates will reconcile with the causes and consequences of this gender-based violence during conflict, the difficulties involved in documenting abuse, and the roles of national governments, humanitarian organizations, peace operations, and international justice institutions in preventing this abuse.