On Friday, the European Union Border Assistance Mission in Libya (EUBAM) reaffirmed its support for a full and meaningful inclusion and participation of women in the peace process in the North-African country.
The statement said that women in Libya have been targeted, threatened, abducted, sexually violated, and killed. The statement claimed that nearly 200,000 girls and women have been displaced.
“Almost 18,000 women and girls are registered as refugees and asylum seekers, and thousands of female migrants remain under permanent threat of abuse,” the statement added.
“Despite efforts of women activists for peace and dialogue in Libya since 2011, women have remained largely excluded from the political arena and a truly meaningful participation in the peace negotiations, and widespread gender-based violence continues to undermine the full exercise of their rights,” the statement noted.
“Women must be included as actors and not only be seen as victims. The 23 October ceasefire agreement is an opportunity for Libya to give women their rightful place as peace builders to reach a more sustainable peace,” the statement said.
Libya has been suffering from escalating violence and political instability ever since the ouster and killing of its former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.