PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
SECOND GLOBAL DAY FOR DARFUR (7 December 2006)

That this House welcomes the second Global Day for Darfur on 10th December, which will highlight the widespread and systematic use of rape and sexual violence against civilians in the region; abhors the utilisation of rape as a weapon of war in this and other conflicts around the world and recognises such action as constituting a war crime; expresses serious concern at the increased vulnerability of women, forced to leave camps for internally displaced people in search of firewood, to sexual violence; regrets that the under-resourced African Union Mission in Sudan has been unable to fulfil its mandate and condemns the Sudanese government for failing to protect its own people; demands that the Sudanese government fully implement the Darfur Peace Agreement, including the investigation of all sexual violence by specialist gender units; calls on the UK Government and the international community to place robust, meaningful and effective pressure on the Sudanese government to accept a peacekeeping force with the appropriate resources and support to ensure that civilians are protected from violence; and commends the efforts of the Aegis Trust, Amnesty International UK, Darfur Union, Mothers' Union, National Union of Students, Waging Peace and the Women's Institute who, alongside other UK and international organisations and survivors of the atrocities in Darfur, in the strongest terms urge the international community to demonstrate a true and lasting commitment to ending a humanitarian crisis that has cost over 200,000 lives and placed a further four million others at risk.

Sponsored by:
Baroness Kramer (Liberal Democrat)